The Same Mistake Again
by Mahichu
Summary: In the future...in another dimension where everything is reborn,Cloud and Sephiroth are born to fix the mistake made between them. With a new scenario before them will past mistakes be repeated or will they be overcome and create a new future? SephCloud
1. Rich Transfer Student

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7. If I did, neither Sephiroth nor Zack would have died in the end and Tifa wouldn't have been so annoying.

When I wrote this I hadn't played the game yet, so I hope it fits in well with the game. My computer didn't have the right graphic card so the game froze half way through…

**P.s. If you are homophobic in any way or do not like a Cloud and Sephiroth pairing than this story is not for you and you should click the back button on your screen. You have been warned.**

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Chapter 1 – Rich Transfer Student

"Cloud!" a long brown haired girl shouted as she rushed down the hall. She was chasing after a boy with blond spike like hair. The boy ignored her and continued to walk past the other students until she caught up with him.

"Why didn't you wait?" she questioned.

"I don't have time, Tifa. I have to get to class," Cloud Strife answered as he continued on his way. Tifa puffed up her cheeks, clearly insulted that Cloud wasn't paying any attention to her.

"Let's go together!" she exclaimed as she grabbed her bag from her locker and rushed back to Cloud's side. The boy didn't answer and walked forward into his classroom. They both took seats at the back of the class and waited for the other students to arrive. Tifa leaned towards Cloud.

"How did your mission go?" she whispered into his ear. Cloud only grunted in response, which she took as a positive answer. Only a handful of people knew, but Cloud was actually a high level assassin. His code name was SOLDIER and almost everyone wanted to have him on his or her side.

A group of girls entered the classroom together. They all giggled and sat down at the front. One of them rushed to Cloud and sat in front of him. She had braided light brown hair and she was wearing a pink pair of pants and a pink t-shirt.

"Hello Aeris," Cloud greeted formally. This girl, Aeris Gainsborough, was a very popular girl, but she had an obvious fascination about Cloud, who was a quiet boy who disliked attention.

"Did you hear?" she questioned. Cloud looked up from his books.

"What?" he asked.

"There's a new transfer student coming to this university. I hear he's supposed to be really rich," she stated. Tifa gave the other girl an odd look.

"Transfer student?" she repeated, "Isn't it a bit late for a transfer student to be coming at this time?"

"It's supposed to be a "hush, hush" thing, but it's such an uncommon thing that the whole school knows. What do you think Cloud?" Aeris asked as she looked at the blond assassin. Aeris knew about Cloud's secret, but she was very good at keeping it.

"I could care less," he murmured. The teacher came in and stood in front of the room. It was a robot that had a weird form. It was a cat standing on some strange winged beast. The funny thing was that this robot, Cait Sith, was their history teacher. Tifa leaned over Cloud again.

"It's ironic that the history teacher is a robot when no one else wanted the job. I guess they were desperate," she whispered. Cloud turned to her and glared.

"Can you stop talking to me," he ordered. Tifa sighed and turned around to listen to the teacher. Suddenly 3 students rushed into the room. Cait Sith turned to them.

"You're late!" he exclaimed. There were two male students and one female.

"Sorry!" the female exclaimed as she saluted.

"Stop sucking up Yuffie!" yelled the black haired male. The other male remained quiet and then silently made his way to the remaining seat beside Cloud.

"Zack! You're so mean!" Yuffie yelled as she punched him in the face and rushed to the seat beside Aeris. Zack rubbed his sore cheek and went to the seat beside Aeris that remained. Cait Sith began to teach again. Cloud looked at the longhaired boy beside him.

"Why were you late Vincent?" he questioned.

"They had another fight in the halls," he whispered as he pointed to Yuffie and Zack. Cloud rolled his eyes and then turned to the teacher and began to listen to the long boring lecture.

When the bell rang two hours later, Cloud grabbed his things and began to make his way to his next class. The others followed his sullenly.

"Look here! If it isn't Blondie and his group of Lackeys," someone shouted loudly. Cloud sighed and turned around, knowing that the taunting wouldn't stop until he was acknowledged. Cloud came face to face with a blond haired man with a white suit and trench coat.

"Rufus! Why don't you leave us alone?" Tifa screamed loudly, "Just because your father is the principal of the school doesn't mean you can do whatever you want!"

"In this world, power is everything," Rufus stated.

"Do you want to fight?" Yuffie exclaimed. She tried to lunge forward, but Vincent grabbed her hand and held her back. Cloud turned away and began to walk away. All of a sudden, a shiver ran up his spine and he stopped. He looked around calmly and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Aeris asked as she noticed the change in the blond boy. Cloud held his head.

"It's nothing," he murmured. For some reason, he had just gotten a headache and there was a huge pounding noise in his ears. They rushed to class and Cloud hastily went to his seat before his head decided to split open.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked.

"It's nothing," he whispered painfully. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on his desk before sighing. Behind his eyelids he could see a scene that he felt was familiar to him.

A boy that looked like him was talking to someone who looked like Zack. Suddenly the look alike Zack pointed to something and Cloud turned around to look. There was a man with long silver hair walking past him. He had green eyes with a strange glow and was wearing a black trench coat with some other black clothes. The stranger looked at Cloud and then suddenly the image disappeared.

In reality, Cloud's eyes snapped open and a wave of dizziness hit him. He looked up and saw a pair of identical green eyes before he dropped unconsciously to the ground.

* * *

_"Sephiroth is so cool!" Zack exclaimed. He pointed at the general and then turned back to Cloud. "I only joined SOLDIER to be able to see him. He looks so much cooler up close!"_

_"I guess…but he looks kind of angry," Cloud stated. Zack gave him an odd look. _

"_He does?" he said. Cloud nodded. He turned back to look at the silver haired SOLDIER and saw Sephiroth glance at him from the corner of his eyes before turning away. Cloud blushed and turned away without saying anything. _

The image changed again.

_This time Cloud was sitting beside Sephiroth as they travelled in a truck. Cloud seemed a bit anxious as he resisted the urge to move around. Sephiroth immediately noticed his unrest and decided to comment on it._

"_Why are you so restless?" he asked. _

"_We're heading towards Nibelheim and it's my home town. I haven't been there in a long time," he whispered. Sephiroth remained quiet and then nodded. _

"_I give you permission to go visit your family," he stated. Cloud smiled happily and looked away with a blush on his face. _

"_Thank you," he whispered. _

Another change.

"_Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted as he exited the mansion that Sephiroth had been hiding in. His eyes were wide as he saw the scene before him. His hometown, Nibelheim, was burning to the ground. Everyone was dead on the ground. Cloud could see that his own house was up in flames._

_"Mother!" he shouted as he rushed inside. He saw his mother dead on the floor. He growled angrily and rushed out of the house. He dashed towards the Mako reactor where he knew Sephiroth would be. _

"_Sephiroth!" he screamed in rage._

* * *

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted as he woke up in the infirmary. The nurse came to his side immediately and checked him over. Cloud pulled away from her and then stood up. He rushed out of the room and went to his locker.

He had to get out of there now. He grabbed his things and headed towards the entrance. Suddenly one of the classroom doors opened and a man stepped out. Cloud caught a glimpse of silver hair and green eyes before he exited the building.

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Please review.

Ja ne


	2. Mighty Swordsman

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7.

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Chapter 2 – Mighty Swordsman

Cloud dropped his school bag onto the ground and entered the condo that he owned. It was like an apartment, but he owned the whole top floor, which was because he could have access to the roof and he liked his privacy. He went to his room and dropped onto his bed.

"You're home early," stated a voice from somewhere in the room.

Cloud looked up and saw a strange creature standing in his room. It was a clash between a lion and a wolf even though its color had an orange tinge to it.

"There were complications at school Red XIII," he stated. He had found the hybrid creature on one of his missions and had decided to keep him. Ever since then, the pair had gotten along really well.

"What happened?" Red XIII asked.

"There are these strange images that are appearing in my head and they all seem familiar to me somehow," he explained quickly. Red XIII shrugged and headed towards the kitchen so he could grab the mail that had been placed there.

Cloud picked up one of the letters and opened it. He skimmed through the contents and went to his bag to take out his laptop. He looked at the letter once more before he began to type. A few minutes later, the screen went black and then a codename popped up. The screen read SOLDIER and Cloud began to type again.

Red XIII looked at the laptop curiously.

"Another mission?" he asked.

"Like usual," Cloud answered.

"Who's the target?" Red XIII asked again. Cloud searched the letter and then read the title.

"Some rich heir to another company. It says he's from the Mako Industries," Cloud answered. Cloud looked at the amount of money being paid for the completion of the job. Red XIII whistles at the amount.

"That's a lot of cash," he stated. Cloud lowered the screen and then stood. He got himself a cup of coffee and began to drink the steaming liquid that he'd prepared.

"There's something fishy about this whole thing," he said.

"Are you going to take it? If you still have headache then I strongly recommend you not go," Red XIII stated cautiously. Cloud finished his coffee and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When he came out, he towelled his wet hair and then lifted the screen again. He moved the mouse and clicked 'accept'.

'_I hope I don't regret this,' _he thought.

* * *

That night, Cloud entered his weapon room, which was very well hidden. He grabbed his large sword and hoisted it over his shoulder. He looked into the mirror. He was wearing black pants and a long sleeved turtleneck. He looked into the eyes of his reflection and looked at the strange sparkle in his eyes. It had been there for as long as he could remember and he had no idea how to remove it, not that he really wanted to. It gave him a more dangerous look. He placed a black mask on his face to hide his features.

When Cloud was satisfied he used his stairway to get to the roof. He jumped onto the roof of the next building and continued until he was just at the right place. He hid within the shadows and watched as the guards came to and fro. He waited until there were only a handful of guards around and sprang out of the darkness, killing them all silently. There wasn't any time for them to cry out in pain before they were dead.

Cloud carefully infiltrated the building and made his way inside. His footsteps silent as he walked. He stopped when he heard pieces of an interesting conversation.

"Hojo has done it again," said one of the guards. The other shook his head.

"It's Master Hojo. If anyone were to hear you speaking like that then you'd be fired immediately and if that didn't happen then you'd probably be shipped off to another lab so you could be used for experimentation," he explained. The guard shivered at the thought.

"I'd rather not think about that," he whispered.

Cloud decided to leave them alone and moves on. He wandered around looking for his target, but he was nowhere to be found. Cloud had been told that he'd recognize the heir immediately if he saw him, but there was nothing that could tell him who was who.

Cloud stopped to listen to another conversation.

"The heir has left his room," a guard stated to another.

"That boy is so hard to please. He just left saying that he sensed something coming. Then, he headed towards the greenhouse," the other responded. Cloud smirked and hastily made his way to the mentioned location. The greenery was dark and had many trees in it, which made hiding a very easy thing. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He wandered around in the darkness until he sensed something strange close by. He felt someone somewhere in the room and jumped on a high branch.

"Well, well, if it isn't a rat," a taunting voice said. Cloud quickly turned around and grabbed his sword so he could protect himself if he were attacked.

"You are the heir I presume?" Cloud asked.

"That would be me," the man answered. Cloud got closer, but the man was hiding in the shadows.

"How did you know that I was coming?" he asked.

"Somehow I sensed your arrival in the building," he answered calmly. Cloud frowned and wielded his heavy sword over his shoulder. He charged forward, but he was met with his opponent's sword.

"Masamune can never be defeated!" the heir exclaimed loudly. The enemy moved into the moonlight and Cloud's eyes widened. It was the man from his dreams. He would be able to recognize that long solver hair and those glowing green eyes anywhere.

"Sephiroth," Cloud whispered.

The heir frowned and slowly approached the assassin that had come for his life.

"How do you know my name?" he asked. Cloud didn't answer and lowered his guard for a moment. Sephiroth took his chance and lunged forward, ready to strike. Cloud noticed this and managed to back away just in time to prevent his head from being split apart. However the sword did managed to graze his mask.

The mask fell to the ground, completely split in half. Sephiroth observed the new face and let shock appear on his features.

"It's you…the boy from school that fainted," the heir said. Cloud froze and then turned towards the door. He heard the sound of footsteps coming closer towards them. He swore mentally and rushed to the nearest window before smashing through it.

Sephiroth watching him flee without a word. He saw Cloud glance at him one more time before he fled. Just a moment later, the door slammed open and guards rushed in.

"Heir-sama!" they cried out.

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked neutrally as he gave them a bored look.

"There's a killer in the building!" they exclaimed. Sephiroth turned his back to then and picked up a piece of the broken glass.

"There's no one here except for me. The glass only broke because I threw something at it," Sephiroth said.

"But…" one of the guard's began.

Sephiroth turned around to glare at them.

"Leave," he ordered in a cold voice. They all gulped and bowed before they rushed out of the room. When they were completely out of sight, Sephiroth walked to the broken window, looking out in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the assassin.

"I finally found you my blond haired swordsman," he whispered.

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Here's the second chapter for those who are actually reading. If it isn't too much to ask can you please review your comments. I feel like no one is reading this fanfic and if that's the case then I'll just remove it. Thank you for reading so far.

Ja ne


	3. Confrontation

Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with a whole bunch of things...like school and what not... So after the extended break I'll try to update more often. Now there's also the problem that new chapters don't seem to want to upload on my computer. I have to go to someone else's for it to work.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7

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Chapter 3 – Confrontation 

Cloud entered his condo and immediately went to his room. He collapsed onto his bed. He was covered in small cuts because of his collision with the glass.

"You look like shit," Red XIII commented as he made his way to Cloud's room.

"I failed," he whispered.

"What?" Red XIII asked carefully. Cloud got up and took out a first aid kit from under his bed. He began to treat his cuts.

"I don't want to talk about it," he answered. Red XIII frowned and then realized that something was missing on Cloud.

"Where's your mask?" he asked. Cloud remained silent and then looked away in shame. Red XIII growled angrily.

"So not only did you fail to kill the target, but you allowed him to see your face!" he shouted. Cloud glared at the hybrid, extremely angry at this point.

"I know all that already! I screwed up okay! I was careless because I got distracted. I saw him. He was the man from my vision. That's why I was distracted," Cloud explained angrily. Red XIII calmed down a bit and then sighed tiredly.

"I knew you shouldn't have gone. Your head was all jumbled up from those visions," Red XIII said. Cloud didn't reply. He put the first aid kit on the ground and went to bed.

* * *

_"Why are you doing this Sephiroth? Ever since you met Jenova you've been acting all weird," Cloud shouted at the silver haired man that was standing in front of him._

"_You don't understand Cloud. This is my duty as one of Jenova's children," Sephiroth stated. _

"_So you're going to destroy the planet! That doesn't make any sense at all! What about everyone else that lives here? What about them?" Cloud exclaimed in a fury. Sephiroth gave the blond SOLDIER a bored look. _

"_I could care less about those people. Mother says that they're only pieces of trash," Sephiroth answered quietly. Cloud looked away sadly. There was a great deal of hurt reflected in his eyes, but he tried his best to hide it. Sephiroth turned to the distraught teen and immediately noticed the repressed pain. _

"_Are you hurt?" he asked as he reached out. Cloud backed away from the hand and then quickly shook his head. _

"_You've chosen her over me… After this I can't stay by your side anymore. I'm only a piece of trash after all…" Cloud whispered calmly. Sephiroth gave him a confused look._

"_I don't understand," he said. _

"_I can't let you win. This planet is my home no matter what filthy things have been done to it. The next time we meet we will be enemies. I promise you that," Cloud added. He turned his back to Sephiroth and began to walk away. He didn't dare look back. If he had bothered to look back for an instant, he would have seen the heart broken look etched into the silver haired man's face._

* * *

Cloud awoke from his dream and quietly sat up. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and then noticed that his eyes were teary. 

'_Why am I crying?'_ he thought. He shrugged and got up to get ready for another day at school. Red XIII was sleeping peacefully on the kitchen carpet and Cloud had to smile at the cute image. He quickly grabbed his things and rushed out of the condo.

The moment he arrived at school Tifa, who had a weird habit of following him around at the most annoying times, cornered him.

"Why did you leave so abruptly yesterday?" she questioned. Cloud didn't answer as usual. Tifa took a closer look at the assassin and gasped when she saw the small cuts.

"Wounds? How did you get hurt?" she asked. Cloud turned to her, knowing that he wouldn't get any peace if she didn't get her answer.

"I smashed through a window," he answered. Tifa gave him a look, which told him that she thought he was insane.

"Why would you do something stupid like that?" Tifa asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Cloud whispered. Tifa was about to continue to annoy the assassin, but someone cleared their throat behind them to catch their attention. They both turned around and Cloud immediately tensed when he saw the heir, the prey that had gotten away.

"It's the new transfer student," Tifa said as she turned to Cloud. "You fainted yesterday so you didn't get the chance to meet him. His name is…"

"Sephiroth," Cloud cut in.

Tifa gave him an odd look.

"That's right. How did you know that?" she inquired lightly. Cloud shook his head and smiled at the annoying woman.

"I heard some people talking when I got into the school," Cloud lied easily. Tifa shrugged and Sephiroth coughed again.

"Oops! I had completely forgotten about you," Tifa apologized. "What do you want?"

"I want to know his name and to see if he's alright. He seemed so out of it yesterday," Sephiroth said. Cloud didn't respond. He already knew it was just a ruse to extract his name. Tifa didn't seem to notice his reluctance and elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Cloud! That's rude! When someone asks for your name you have to answer. His name is Cloud Strife," she offered. Cloud resisted the urge to strangle the girl and opted to just glare at her.

A small smile appeared on Sephiroth's face and he smirked at Cloud.

"I'll see you in class…Cloud," he stated, stressing Cloud's name before walking away. Cloud growled angrily and stomped away from Tifa. Tifa gave him a confused look and then began to follow like she usually did.

"Why are you so angry all of a sudden?" she questioned.

"It's because you're so unbelievably stupid!" he exclaimed angrily. Tifa puffed up her cheeks and then huffed disgracefully.

"I don't know what's wrong with you so you should take out your anger on someone else!" she complained. She moved to walk away but an annoyed voice stopped her.

"Trouble in paradise?" Rufus announced as he walked up to Cloud. Cloud glared at him angrily. He grabbed the boy's collar and lifted him into the air.

"Shut up you poor excuse for a man! Maybe you should get off your high horse once and a while and see that the world doesn't actually revolve around you!" Cloud hissed. He dropped Rufus to the ground and stomped away, leaving everyone in a state of shock behind.

He entered his science classroom and went to his usual seat in the back. A few moments later, the teacher, Barrett, stepped in. He was a big built man that had many bulky muscles. Everyone knew that he hated science, but President Shinra had forced him to take the job.

"Let's just get this class started," he barked. "First I have to introduce the new student in our class. His name is…well he can tell you himself," Barrett added. Sephiroth entered the room and gave them all a bored look before his eyes fell apon Cloud. He smirked and the turned to the rest of the class.

"My name is Sephiroth. Don't bother trying to talk to me because I won't answer to you unless I start the conversation first," he said. He immediately headed towards Cloud and sat in the empty seat beside him.

Cloud remained silent, but he watched Sephiroth closely from the corner of his eyes. Half way during the class, Sephiroth put his elbow on the desk and leaned his chin on it. He turned to Cloud.

"We have so much to talk about…my blond haired assassin," he cooed.

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Please Review. It would mean a lot to me. 

Ja ne


	4. Blackmailing Heirs

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

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Chapter 4 – Blackmailing Heirs

Cloud didn't even bother to look and Sephiroth continued to write down his class notes.

"You might have a lot to say, but I have no intention of talking to you whatsoever," Cloud answered calmly. Sephiroth smirked and then moved closer to Cloud.

"Ah…but you will listen. You wouldn't want your secret to accidentally slip would you?" he taunted. Cloud turned to Sephiroth and glared.

"You're going to blackmail me?" he hissed.

"You don't seem to understand Cloud. I always get what I want and if I want to speak to you I will do whatever I want," he said. Then he turned back to the teacher and began to write his own notes.

"Bastard!" Cloud growled. He saw Sephiroth smirk from the corner of his eyes, which meant that the heir was still listening to him very carefully.

"Cloud! Stop speaking during my class!" Barrett shouted as he threw a piece of chalk at the assassin's head. Cloud saw the attack coming, but let it hit him. It would definitely not be a good thing if he blew his cover because of something like this. Cloud winced when the chalk hit his cheek. Barrett always had a strong throw so it always hurt more than the average person. Sephiroth watched this all happen with a frown on his face. He glared at Barrett.

At the end of class, Cloud grabbed his books and made his way out of the room. He didn't have any other classes for the rest of the day so he planned to leave early to settle things. He suddenly stopped and looked back when he saw that he was being followed.

"What are you doing?" he asked. He could see Sephiroth from the corner of his eye.

"Isn't it obvious? I said that we'd talk and that's what we'll do," he answered back. Cloud sighed and went to his locker. He grabbed his things and headed towards the front door. He went to the parking lot and then turned back to Sephiroth who was still behind him.

"How long are you going to follow me?" he asked.

"For as long as it takes my precious assassin," Sephiroth answered. Cloud sighed and then glared at him.

"What's with that ridiculous long nickname that you keep using? It's insulting," Cloud complained. Sephiroth smiled. Not a smirk like he usually did but an actual smile. Cloud was slightly taken aback.

"That's because you're mine," he answered. Cloud blushed darkly and then glared at him.

"What!" he spluttered.

"I know you've been having them too. Those dream like vision. I've had them all my life. I know that there's people that looked exactly like you and I a long time ago. I know they were lovers…torn away from each other. I don't plan on letting the past repeat itself. I won't let anything stand between us," Sephiroth announced boldly. Cloud blushed and looked away.

"Lovers…" he repeated. His head began to spin and then suddenly he dropped again.

* * *

_"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted as he rushed towards the General. It was a short amount of time since the blond boy had reached the SOLDIER position. He had worked really hard to reach his cadet rank._

_At the moment, Cloud and Sephiroth were at an open field. It was really hard to find a place unpolluted by man. That's why this place was so cherished by them._

"_It's so peaceful here," Cloud whispered as he sat down. He placed his large sword on the ground and laid it gently in the grass. _

"_It is," Sephiroth agreed. _

"_It's not fair! We haven't gotten the chance to see each other in a long time. You're always busy I rarely have the chance to see you," Cloud complained loudly. Sephiroth sat beside Cloud in the field and then leaned forward. Cloud turned his head and then their lips met in a gentle kiss. Cloud pulled away quickly, a dark blush on his face. He hadn't expected the General to do something like that. _

"_Did you dislike it?" Sephiroth questioned. Cloud quietly shook his head and placed his head on Sephiroth's shoulder. His hair wasn't spiked up like usual. It was down and tied back with a piece of thread, _

"_No," he whispered. Sephiroth smiled and passed his fingers through Cloud's hair. _

"_I like it when you have your hair down," he said. Cloud gave the General a dumbfounded look. _

"_Really? I like it better up though," Cloud answered. He shrugged and then closed his eyes. Maybe it was a good thing that Zack had hidden his hair gel that morning… With that thought it mind he soon fell into a deep sleep with his head on Sephiroth's shoulder._

* * *

In the real world, cloud opened his eyes and then realized that he wasn't in the parking lot anymore. He was currently in the front seat of a car being driven to an unknown location.

"Finally awake I see," he heard a voice say. Cloud looked beside him and saw Sephiroth sitting in the driver's seat.

"Where are you taking me?" Cloud asked.

"My home. Don't worry I'm not bringing you to Mako Industries. I only go there when my father wants to see me. Other than that I live on my own right here," he answered as he drove into a driveway. Cloud looked out the window and saw a nice small looking house in front of him.

"You live here alone?" Cloud asked. Even though it was small it was still a big house for someone to be living in all alone.

"The only people that have entered here are the maids and myself. You are the first outsider who is ever going to set foot in the building," Sephiroth stated calmly. Cloud got out of the car and followed Sephiroth to the front door. The older man opened the door and then they both entered.

"Welcome back," stated one of the maids as she bowed to Sephiroth. She spotted Cloud at Sephiroth's side and immediately rushed over to them.

"Is it him? The boy from your dreams?" she asked.

"It's him," Sephiroth responded. The maid smiled and turned to Cloud.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Angel. I know it's a weird name, but I can't help it if my parents called me something like that. I think they were trying to hard to make me an obedient little girl…it didn't work. So…it's nice to finally meet you! Seph used to always dream about you and called you his precious blond angel!" she exclaimed. Cloud inspected the girl closely and apon closer inspection he realized that she had green hair and brown eyes, an odd combination.

"Sephiroth doesn't seem to understand that I am my own being and I have the right to choose things for myself," Cloud explained angrily. Angel shrugged and calmly approached the boy.

"I wouldn't fight it," Angel said, then she turned around and began to walk away. Sephiroth turned to Cloud and grabbed his wrist. He dragged the struggling boy to his room and locked the door. Cloud's eyes went wide as he was thrown onto the bed. Sephiroth calmly approached him and sat on the bed beside him.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you unless you wish for it," he stated. Cloud blushed darkly and sat up.

"Then let me go!" he exclaimed. Sephiroth shook his head.

"I can't do that. I've dreamt about you for so long. Your blond hair and glowing blue eye are exactly like his. I know that in my past life I choose something else over you, but now I choose you," Sephiroth explained. Cloud remained silent, his bangs hiding his eyes. Then, he looked up into Sephiroth's eyes.

"I don't understand what's happening to me," he whispered.

"I'll explain," Sephiroth answered.

* * *

What do you think Sephiroth will say to our poor Cloud? Well, your guess is as good as mine. See you next time.

Please Review.

Ja ne


	5. Linking the past and present

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, but I do wish to find a copy of it one day. 

Sorry for the long absence. I've gotten lazy and stopped typing. I'll try to update more when I can. Just for the count, I'm making Zack a cadet at the same time as Cloud even though he was a first class soldier before Cloud entered the organization.

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Chapter 5 – Linking the past and present

"There have been many visions that I've seen about the past. However this story isn't a cute story where everyone lives happily. It's one that is sad and heart wrenching." Sephiroth explained calmly. 

"That isn't amusing, but just get on with it," Cloud answered quickly.

"You and I…we were warriors in an organization called SOLDIERS…" he drifted off and the image began to appear in Cloud's mind.

* * *

"_Isn't it amazing Cloud! We're going to be a cadet now!" Zack explained excitedly. The blond haired boy sitting beside him grunted in response and looked at all the people around them. He knew that most of them would not stay for very long. They only wanted to catch a glimpse of the great Sephiroth, who was the only war hero that everyone respected greatly. _

"_Look over there! It's Sephiroth!" Zack exclaimed as he pointed in a random direction. Cloud followed and he immediately gasped in shock. It was the first time that they'd seen the famous General. The long silver hair and the Mako glowing green eyes were absolutely breathtaking. Most people in the room stopped to stare at the General. Cloud was the first to snap out of his daze. He sighed and looked away before slowly walking in the opposite direction. While everyone was amazed at the sight of his body, Cloud was only enthralled by his eyes. _

_They were filled much pain and sadness. For some reason, Cloud was able to read the man very well even though Sephiroth was said to have a cold exterior. _

"_Wait!" someone shouted from behind. Cloud didn't recognize the voice and then slowly turned around to see the speaker. His eyes immediately met the green orbs of the general. _

"_General!" Cloud exclaimed loudly._

"_Why were you not with the other cadets?" the silver haired man questioned. Cloud shrugged and calmly made his way to his quarters. He looked behind and realized that the General was following him. He gave the general an answer._

"_That's because they were all fawning over you. Your eyes told me of your displeasure over such an action so I decided to leave," he admitted. Sephiroth looked clearly shocked by this piece of information. Cloud began to walk away again. _

"_Cadet!" Sephiroth called out. Cloud once again stopped and turned around before giving to General and annoyed look. _

"_Can you stop calling me Cadet? I do have a name and it's Cloud. Cloud Strife," with that Cloud turned around and left. He didn't see the smile that appeared on Sephiroth's face as he left._

Scene change.

_Cloud sat by himself in the lounge at Shinra headquarters and gently touched his lips. His relationship with Sephiroth had taken a major turn the previous week. This had started out as an unbreakable friendship between then it had turned into a deep romance for the two. _

_Sephiroth appeared at the door of the lounge and sat down on the chair beside his blond lover._

"_Your meeting is done already?" Cloud questioned. _

"_It wasn't something important so I left in the middle," Sephiroth admitted. Cloud laughed and playfully hit the general's shoulder. _

"_You're bad!" he explained. _

"_I didn't like the fact that you were waiting for me outside," Sephiroth stated calmly. Cloud blushed in embarrassment. _

"_Don't say something like that!" Cloud retorted with red cheeks. He huffed and stood. "You make me sound like a girl."_

_Sephiroth stood wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist before putting his chin on the top of his head. _

"_And I know that you're definitely not a girl," Sephiroth whispered._

_Cloud blushed harder and tried to pull away from Sephiroth, but the older man held onto him tightly. _

"_I forgot to tell you. I'm going on a mission soon and I've been given permission to bring a cadet with me. I've chosen you to come with me," Sephiroth smiled. Cloud pulled back and smiled happily at the general. _

"_That's great! Where are we going?" Cloud asked. _

"_Nibelheim," Sephiroth answered._

_Cloud tensed, but didn't say anything to his silver haired lover._

* * *

Cloud opened his eyes and realized that he was lying on Sephiroth's bed. He blushed darkly and sat up. A small laugh came from beside him and Cloud turned around to see Sephiroth leaning beside him. 

"Awake?" he asked. 

"Yeah," Cloud mumbled. 

"You shouldn't make a habit out of this fainting thing you know," Sephiroth teased. Cloud blushed and grabbed a pillow before stuffing it into Sephiroth's face. A moment later, his expression turned sad and he gave Sephiroth a moment to sit up. The silver haired man wrapped his arms around him when he sensed the deep sorrow. 

"How did it end? I know that I left you, but other than that I have yet to see," Cloud whispered sadly. Sephiroth looked away and smiled sadly. 

"You ended up killing me and I disappeared from this place," Sephiroth responded. Cloud looked away. 

"Then why don't you hate me? I killed you after all," he whispered. Sephiroth shook his head. 

"I've changed. I think differently than back then," Sephiroth stated. He grabbed Cloud's arm and pulled him into another hug. "This time I don't want to make the same mistake again."

Cloud pushed the heir away and jumped off the bed before going to a corner. He shook his head gently and then wrapped his arms around his body. 

"I can't…It's my job to kill you. I can't go romanticizing around with my prey," he whispered Sephiroth jumped out and rushed to Cloud's side. He embraced the struggling boy and held onto him tightly. Cloud struggles ceased and he looked up at the silver haired man. Sephiroth leaned forward and gently kissed the boy. Cloud's eyes went wide and then he wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck.

When they pulled away from each other, Cloud blushed and averted his eyes. 

"I…I…" he whispered. Sephiroth smiled and ruffled Cloud's hair softly. 

"Don't touch me! I swore that I would kill you!" Cloud shouted as he pushed the man away. Sephiroth smirked darkly and then crossed his arms.

"Then kill me. I dare you to. I know that you won't be able to strike the final blow," he announced. Cloud frowned and took out a blade that was hidden within his shirt. He raised it and pointed to Sephiroth's heart and prepared to attack. 

Just as he was about to strike, Cloud threw the knife away and fell to his knees. He covered his face and let loose the most heart wrenching sob one could ever hear.

* * *

That's all. 

Please Review. 


	6. Day Off

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VI.

* * *

Chapter 6 – Day Off

Cloud opened his eyes and spotted that he was once again in an unfamiliar room. He blushed when the memory of him breaking down came back to him. Sephiroth had comforted him until he had fallen asleep. It had been so long since he'd allowed himself to weep so freely.

"I'm hungry," he stated.

A knock came from the door and it opened to reveal Angel holding a platter of food.

"Wow!" Cloud said as he saw all the food. Most of this stuff he'd never seen before, but his soul told him that it was something he enjoyed greatly.

"Seph said that these were your favourites in the other world so I expect that you'll like them," she announced happily. She set the tray beside Cloud on the desk. She turned back to Cloud and smiled sadly.

"Seph told me that you might want to talk to someone that wasn't him," she added. Cloud sighed and looked out the large window that was in his room.

"It's just too much to take in at once. I only met him two days ago and then I find out that we were lovers in another life and that he died because I killed him. I just wanted to have a normal life. The only thing I'm good at is killing people. That's the reason that I became an assassin and then I meet him. The one that's supposed to be my prey… I can't…" he whispered sadly. Angel gave the assassin a thoughtful look before she turned to Cloud again.

"So you're the assassin that tried to take Seph's life," she exclaimed. Cloud's eyes went wide and he covered his mouth with his hands. Angel laughed slightly.

"Don't worry about that. I wouldn't tell. The only person that I listen to is Seph and I'm not about to betray him by handing over his soon to be lover," she added calmly. Cloud blushed darkly and then sighed tiredly. He reached out for the meal that Angel had brought to him.

"I somewhat understand what you're trying to say, but I ask you one thing…please don't break Seph's heart. His feelings for you are genuine," she stated. Cloud put his fork down and then stared at the girl sadly.

"I will try my best, but I cannot make a promise if I'm not sure if I can keep or not," he said. Angel shook her head and smiled sadly at the assassin that was lying on the bed.

"I don't care about that. What matters to me is that you'll try," she whispered. Cloud went quiet for a moment and then he set the food tray aside. He stood and walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Angel questioned as she watched.

"Home. Tell Sephiroth that I'll see him at school next week…I have somewhere to go," he stated and then he left without a word.

* * *

After a long walk, Cloud found himself at the door of his apartment. He took out a key and unlocked the door. The moment he stepped inside and closed the door, he was pounced apon by Red XIII.

"Where have you been? I thought for a moment that the heir had gotten you!" the hybrid shouted angrily. Cloud calmly got back to his feet and then glared at him.

"We don't have time. Pack some things for the week. We're heading out," he announced. Red XIII gave the assassin a worried look.

"Are we coming back or have we been chased out?" he asked. Cloud's gaze softened and he knelled in front of the hybrid and patted his head.

"We're coming back. I promise you that. We're only leaving to visit home," Cloud stated. Red XIII looked at his master with a surprised look.

"But you said that you'd never look back," Red XIII said. Cloud shook his head.

"I have yet to look back on my decision to become an assassin. I'm just going to visit," he said. Red XIII nodded and gathered the things that they'd need for the trip.

They both headed to the extra car that Cloud had parked in the apartment parking lot because he had left his usual one at school. They both got in and drove to an unknown location.

* * *

Sephiroth entered the room where Cloud had been and saw Angel sitting by herself.

"Where's Cloud?" he asked.

"He left," she whispered.

"Where?" Sephiroth asked.

"I don't know," she answered sadly. Sephiroth growled angrily and turned to stomp out of the room.

"Wait!" Angel shouted. Sephiroth stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at the maid. She shook her head at him.

"Don't go to him. You have to give him time. He told me to tell you that he'd see you in a week. Please remain here for that time Seph," she begged. Sephiroth sighed and gave the maid a kind look.

"I know that you're right, but waiting still hurts the most," he whispered and then he exited the room.

* * *

Where did Cloud flee to I wonder? It'll be in the next chapter.

Please Review.


	7. Cabin in the Woods

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 7 – Cabin in the woods

"We're here!" Cloud announced as he stopped the car and then got out. He gathered his bags and then looked in front. There was an average sized cabin. It was old looking and hidden deep within the forest of the region.

"It looks just like it did all those years ago," he whispered. He approached the door and then quietly opened it. All the furniture was covered in while sheets and everything was covered in white sheets and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.

"This place needs a good cleaning," Red XIII stated as he looked around.

"Yes and you're going to help me put it back into shape," Cloud said quietly. Red XIII sighed, but didn't complain. He could tell that this place still meant a great deal to the boy so he would help.

They both got started. It took them the rest of the day to clean the place up, but it felt good to them to finally be in a clean house. There were three bedrooms, one kitchen, a small living room and a bathroom. This was all on one floor, but if you went downstairs, you would just see one large room with many weapons lined up on the wall. However access to the room was blocked because Cloud was the only one who held the key.

"What are you going to do now?" Red XIII asked as he eyed the blond haired boy who was headed towards the entrance.

"I'll be back," was the only answer before Cloud left the cabin. He walked down a grassy path and then noticed a river.

'_I wonder if the bridge is still there?'_ he thought. He looked to the side and spotted the wooden bridge. He laughed and gently crossed it before he continued to follow the path. He kept on walking until he reached a cliff. The cliff showed you a great view of the ocean. However what Cloud was interested in was the two tombstones that were placed apon the soil.

"It's been a long time," he said quietly. He approached the graves and pulled away the weeds that were blocking the engravings.

Cloud passed his fingers over the stone.

_Maria Williams_

_Date Unknown_

_The one who took care of me_

_And now lies because of it._

He turned to the other graves and sighed.

_James Williams_

_Date Unknown_

_The one who died to protect me_

Cloud smiled sadly and then looked at the moon that was high in the sky.

"It's been fifteen years now since that time…I was an abandoned child. One with no memory except for the name Cloud Strife. Though about a year after you found me…those strange men came and killed you both. I'm so sorry Maria…James…" he whispered.

"It's not your fault kid," someone said from behind the assassin. Cloud turned around and saw Red XIII staring at him with sad eyes.

"It is though," Cloud whispered. He closed his eyes and then remembered what had happened so many years ago.

-Flashback-

"_Maria! Maria!" Cloud shouted as he rushed towards the woman. He was six years old. The woman had brown hair and warm brown eyes. She turned and looked at Cloud with her gentle eyes. "How many times have I told you that you can call me mom?" Maria said. "Look! I completed my first mission," Cloud exclaimed happily. _

_Maria saw the strange creature standing behind Cloud and quickly pushed the boy behind her to protect him._

"_Cloud!" she shouted._

"_What are you so upset about? This is only Red XIII. He was one of the experiments in the building I went to. The man I killed said that he was very important for their research so I set him free. He's been following me ever since," Cloud explained cutely. The two people he worked with were assassins too and they decided to train him even if they weren't part of the family. _

"_That was a good reaction," Red XIII stated. Maria stared at the creature in shock, but the moment she decided to comment, a loud scream came from the woods. They all looked at each other before dashing into the woods. They found a bloodied body on the ground. _

"_James!" Maria shouted as she lunged at her husband. Men in black suits emerged from the foliage and pointed guns at her. _

"_Where is the boy?" they asked. Maria's eyes went wide and then she turned to Red XIII. _

"_Take him and go Red XIII!" she screamed. The hybrid nodded and grabbed the small boy's collar with his teeth before taking off. Soon afterwards, they both heard the sound of gunshots. _

"_Maria! James!" Cloud shouted. A few days later, Cloud returned and spotted the torn bodies of his mentors. He buried them on a cliff and left the house with Red XIII, never looking back. _

-End of Flashback-

"Can't you see…it was my fault," Cloud whispered.

* * *

Here's a bit of Cloud's past. I hope you enjoyed.

Please Review.


	8. Cloud's Decision

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7.

* * *

Chapter 8 – Cloud's Decisions

Cloud sat next to the graves without a word everyday. From dawn until dusk he sat there in silence. Red XIII brought him meals and then left him in his solitude. A few days had already passed with this schedule.

Currently Cloud found himself in front of the graves once more.

"Please help me… I don't know what to do," he whispered quietly. Silence was his answer. Cloud knew that he would have to search through his memories to find the answer to the question he was looking for.

Cloud sighed and closed his eyes to think.

'_Maria always told me to follow my heart… but at times like this following my heart could be a very bad thing,' _Cloud thought. He opened his eyes and turned his gaze to the sky. The clear blue sky above did not reflect the turmoil he felt within.

'_I feel like I'm forgetting something important,' _he thought. He closed his eyes and let himself remember.

-Flashback-

_A five-year-old Cloud sat on a swing that had been made for him by James. The child didn't swing; he just sat there motionless._

_Maria walked past him with a basket full of laundry. It had been a few days since the boy had come to live with them, but he was still silent. He refused to talk unless he had to. Maria and James didn't know where he had come from, but they welcomed him into their home happily._

_"__Maria," he called out. The woman almost dropped her basket in shock. She turned to the boy and smiled kindly. _

"_What's wrong?" she questioned softly. _

_Cloud swung gently on the swing, letting himself rock forward and backwards. _

"_Were you always this happy?" he whispered quietly. Maria put the basket down and wiped her hands on her apron. _

"_Happy? I've been 'happy' all my life. It depends…there are many different types of happiness. I was happy when I married James," she announced. Cloud went quiet again and then looked up with his glowing blue eyes. _

"_How did you meet James?" he asked again. Maria thought for a moment and then everything came back to her and she clapped her hands together. _

"_When I first met him, I thought he was the coolest creature on this planet, but the moment he opened his mouth my dreams of him were shattered. He ended up being the most obnoxious person I had ever met. Back then we were rival assassins, but we worked very well together. Then one day we got into a tight spot. I was badly injured and James was carrying me to safety. We had completed our mission, but at a great cost," she began. Cloud listened attentively and calmly nodded his head to show he was paying attention. _

"_Back then I remember thinking that I was going to die and I felt so helpless. The one thought that kept coming back to me was the fact that I wouldn't be able to fight with James anymore. Then everything went weird and James confessed to me. It was a bit random at the time, but we've been together since then," she said quietly. _

_Cloud remained quiet and then looked at the sky. Maria gave him an odd look. _

"_What?" she asked. _

"_It's just that I've never heard of anyone talk about his or her feelings like this before, so this is new to me," he explained. Maria approached the child and gave him a sad look. _

" _Was your childhood that bad? What was it like?" she questioned. Cloud looked up and gazed at her with his innocent eyes. _

"_I can't remember anything, but I feel so…afraid…" he whispered. Maria embraced the child and held onto him tightly. _

"_Don't be afraid! I promise to protect you!" she vowed loudly. Cloud, for the first time since meeting Maria, let a smile appear on his face. He wrapped his arms around Maria's neck. _

"_Thank you…" he whispered. _

-End of Flashback-

Cloud sighed tiredly and stood up from his spot. The sun had set about an hour ago and it was about time that he headed back. It was ironic that such a simple memory could give him the answer that he was looking for.

'_Maria and James were eternal rivals and yet they ended up together…I think that I'll take a chance like she did… Sephiroth said that he didn't want to make the same mistake again…and I don't want to either,' _he thought quietly as he made his way back to the cabin.

Red XIII was waiting for him on the porch, quietly sitting there in silence. The hybrid smiled when he saw his master.

"It seems like you've made a decision about something important," he announced. Cloud smiled and looked at the moon.

"I did," he whispered quietly.

"When are we leaving this place?" Red XIII asked quietly. Cloud raised his eyebrows at the creature and laughed.

"What's the rush? We still have three days to spare. It's high time that we relaxed," Cloud stated. Red XIII growled in annoyance and flicked his tail to attack the mosquitoes that had gathered around him.

"These bugs are eating me alive!" he complained. Cloud just laughed at the misfortune of his friend.

The next day, Cloud got up early and for the first time he didn't go to the graves like he had on the previous day. He walked through the forest and let his memories of this place return to him. He saw the place where Maria used to hang the laundry to dry and then path that James followed when he did his morning jog.

"It's been a long time," he said.

The birds sang in the trees and suddenly Cloud's eyes turned into slits. He fell to his knees clutching his head in pain. He let out a cry of pain as images came to him. He was sitting in a small cell crying and then the images changed to show him as a child strapped to a medical table. There was an unfamiliar man with a syringe approached him. Cloud pried his eyes open and then gasped in pain. The images had felt different then those concerning Sephiroth. Cloud leaned against a tree and then slowly sat on the ground.

"What was that?" he mumbled.

"Hey kid! Are you okay? I heard you scream," Red XIII asked as he rushed towards the assassin. Cloud took a shaky breath and then forced a smile.

"It's okay…it's not important," he whispered calmly. Red XIII growled angrily. He would not accept that excuse this time. His master's face was pale and clammy.

"It's not okay! If it has gotten you this shaky then I deserve to know," he announced. Cloud sighed tiredly and then looked at the sky. The clouds were hiding the sunshine and everything was covered in shadows.

"I just saw images…" Cloud whispered.

"Like before."

"No…different," Cloud answered. Red XIII sat on the ground and then observed the blond boy very carefully.

"Do you know what it was?" Red XIII questioned. Cloud went quiet and then looked at the hybrid before looking away.

"I have an idea," Cloud murmured.

"What?"

"It's nothing important," Cloud evaded. Red XIII's eyes narrowed and he approached the assassin so that they were face to face.

"Cloud!" he hissed.

"I said it's not important so why do you want to know so badly?" Cloud questioned in annoyance. He refused to look at the hybrid in the eyes and continued to gaze away from him.

"Because I'm worried," responded the creature. Cloud's eyes widened and he turned towards his friend. Usually Red XIII wouldn't admit something like that so openly. Cloud sighed and turned back towards the sky, which had darkened considerably. Raindrops began to fall and soaked both of them. Cloud turned to Red XIII and gave him a sad look.

"I think my memories are coming back," he whispered.

* * *

Please review your comments.


	9. Boyfriend

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

* * *

Chapter 9 – Boyfriend

So ended the great vacation for the two. Red XIII was now in constant worry because of what Cloud had told him. Cloud, on the other hand, didn't let it bother him on the outside, but on the outside he was in utter turmoil.

They both returned to the apartment and calmly put everything away. Cloud retreated to his room and closed the door so that he could be alone.

He closed his eyes and suddenly heard a screaming noise ringing throughout his head. The table was back in his mind and there were many doctors surrounding him, holding weird devices in their hands. His eyes snapped open as the memory of a pain long forgotten wracked through his body. He took a deep breath, jumped out of bed and ran out of his room. He rushed out of the entrance and got into his car, ignoring Red XIII's cry of outrage.

He was already driving down a familiar road when the fist drops of rain hit. A moment later, Cloud stopped the engine and opened the car door to look at the house in front of him. He immediately went to the front door and pounded on it with his fists. He didn't even bother trying to protect himself from the now pouring rain. The door opened and the brown eyed, green haired Angel emerged.

"Cloud?" she said as she spotted him. When she realized that he was soaking wet, she quickly pulled him into the house. She rushed off somewhere for a moment, leaving Cloud there dripping before coming back holding onto a towel. Cloud gladly accepted the cloth and tried to use it to wring the water from his hair. Once that was done he hung the towel over his shoulder and turned back to Angel, who was giving him a sad smile.

"Have you made a decision?" she questioned. Cloud nodded and then shivered when a cool draft hit him and his drenched clothing.

"Go to Seph's room. He's there at the moment. I'll bring you a change of clothes later," she announced. Cloud nodded and made his way towards the heir's room. He knocked softly and then waited for permission to enter the room.

"Come in!" Sephiroth called out from the other side. Cloud opened the door and immediately noticed Sephiroth sitting in his bed with the covers thrown over him. There was a book on his lap.

"Cloud…" he whispered.

"I shouldn't have come," Cloud stated as he began to turn around.

"Wait!" Sephiroth shouted. Cloud froze and turned to gaze at the silver haired man. Sephiroth had a worried look on his face that told Cloud that he could sense his distress.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My head keeps on showing me images. They are always so terrible and I wake up in a cold sweat. These images are different from the ones that I see when I'm around you. These ones feel more familiar to me and I'm afraid," he murmured softly. Sephiroth frowned and pulled the covers off. He was at Cloud's side instantly.

"Are you sure that they're your memories? You should be the one that knows best," he whispered. Cloud shook his head quietly.

"No. I have amnesia. I don't know from where I come from let alone what happened to me during that time. The earliest things I remember are the things that happened to me when I was five years old," Cloud explained. Sephiroth hugged the assassin and held onto his tightly.

"What are the images you see?" he asked.

"There are many… The one that comes the most often is the one where I'm tied down to a medical table surrounded by men in white lab coats. They all had different instruments in their hands, but my gaze always seems to remain with one man in particular. He's holding a large syringe in hand. After that pain engulfs me and I open my eyes to make the images disappear," Cloud responded. His shoulders shook gently. A few seconds later, Sephiroth realized that the blond boy was crying softly.

Cloud pushed Sephiroth away and brought his hand to his cheek to feel the wetness there. He pulled his hand away and then looked up at Sephiroth with big teary eyes.

"Why am I crying?" he inquired loudly. Sephiroth once again embraced the assassin, but held on tightly when Cloud tried to push him away.

"You don't have to remember… I promise that this time I'll protect you. I promise you that," he murmured quietly. Cloud quietly smiled and wrapped his arms around Sephiroth.

"For some reason I feel like I can believe you," he said.

There was another knock on the door and they both turned and saw Angel standing at the doorway with some clothes in her hands. She glanced at both of them and a smile came to her face. Cloud blushed and pushed Sephiroth away.

"I have brought a change of clothes," she announced. She handed the clothes to Cloud and then turned to Sephiroth. "I suggest that you change your outfit as well, Seph. You've managed to get yourself wet," she added. She turned back to the assassin and, if it was possible, her smile widened.

"Come bring me your clothes later," she said. Then she turned around and left the room. Sephiroth took her advice to heart and turned his back to Cloud, before removing his shirt. His pants were fine, so he kept those on. Seph went through his drawers and then pulled out another shirt before putting it on. When he turned around he saw Cloud staring at him with a blush on his face. Sephiroth smirked and then cleared his throat.

Cloud's eyes went wide and he turned around. He glanced at the clothes in his arms and then sighed. He slowly took off his wet shirt and then went to remove his pants.

Sephiroth stared as Cloud stripped in front of his until he was in nothing but his boxers. It was like a wet dream come true in Sephiroth's mind. Cloud calmly got dressed and then turned back to Sephiroth. He went to go pick up the discarded clothes on the ground and then placed then in the hamper in the room.

The moment that Cloud looked at Sephiroth, he was assaulted by the sex driven student. Sephiroth pushed Cloud against the wall and then lifted him up. Cloud wrapped his legs around Sephiroth's waist to prevent from falling and then wrapped his arms around the man's neck.

"What was that for?" Cloud complained. Sephiroth's only reply was to rock his hips against Cloud's. The assassin's eyes widened and he threw his head back. A pleasured gasp escaped his lips and then he looked into Sephiroth's eyes.

"Seph…" he whispered breathlessly.

The general licked his lips and leaned forward to catch Cloud's lips for a searing kiss. Cloud moaned and then tightened his hold around Sephiroth's neck as the older man continued with his rocking motion.

"Stop," Cloud asked breathlessly. Sephiroth shook his head and increased the pressure of his rocking motion. Cloud cried out and then closed his eyes. His back was being pressed tightly against the wall, but he ignored the voice in the back of his head saying that he'd have a few bruises in the morning. Suddenly all the muscles in Cloud's body tensed and there was an explosion of color behind Cloud's eyes. He cried out Seph's name and then fell limp.

Cloud took a deep breath and couldn't find the strength to move his body. Sephiroth noticed this and placed the boy on the bed. Cloud yawned tiredly and then snuggled into the sheets. His breathing evened out and it was long before the assassin fell asleep. Sephiroth calmly slipped into the bed beside Cloud and wrapped his arms around the assassin before he too fell asleep.

The next morning, Cloud opened his eyes and cringed at the amount of sunlight that filled the room.

'_Too bright,'_ he complained mentally. He felt movement beside him and immediately remembered what had happened the previous day. He remembered being pressed against the wall and then being pounded into by Sephiroth. Cloud blushed darkly and then let out a small yelp when he felt a hand beginning to crawl up his calf.

"If you want to keep that hand then I suggest that you keep it to yourself," Cloud warned. Sephiroth laughed lightly and then limb was removed. Cloud sighed and sat up before looking at Sephiroth.

"You never did give me an answer to my advances," he stated. Cloud went quiet before smiling.

"I will accept your advances in regards to being your boyfriend, but I'm not ready to be your lover yet," he admitted honestly. Sephiroth sat up with a smile and wrapped his arms around Cloud.

"Now that, I can work with," he murmured.

* * *

So Cloud has accepted Sephiroth's advances but it leads to wonder what the future has in store for these two people.

Please Review


	10. Back to School

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

* * *

Chapter 10 - Back to School

"Wake up," Angel shouted as she shook both men awake. The weekend had come and gone and now it was time for both of them to go back to school, which was why Angel was trying to get them to wake up.

"I'm up already," Cloud mumbled sleepily. He opened his eyes and watched as Angel switched all of her attention to Sephiroth who seemed to refuse to wake up. Cloud watched in amusement and passed his fingers through his hair . The previous day he had taken a shower and then Sephiroth had told him calmly that there was no gel so he couldn't spike up his hair like he usually did. So now, Cloud's hair fell down his back and past his shoulder.

"He won't wake like that," Cloud stated in an even voice. Angel turned around to glare at him.

"You try then!" she hissed back angrily. Cloud shrugged calmly and got out of the bed. He picked up a bucket and then headed towards the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later and then dumped a bucket of cold water onto the heir. Sephiroth immediately jumped out of bed when he felt the liquid touch his flesh. He glared at Cloud, who stood proudly in front of his boyfriend with the bucket in his hand.

"You'll regret that," he growled. He tried to lunge at Cloud, but Angel grabbed him tightly around the collar and slapped the top of his head.

"You don't have time for something like that! Get ready or else you'll be late!" she shouted.

A few moments later, Sephiroth and Cloud found themselves walking through the halls of the school building they had become used to.

"Angel can be really scary when she wants to be," he stated quietly. Sephiroth nodded in agreement with the assassin.

"Cloud!" someone shouted from behind them. Cloud sighed dramatically and then slowly turned around to face the one that had called his name. Sephiroth followed his example. They saw Aeris, Tifa, Vincent, Yuffie and Zack running towards them. The group stopped in front of the couple. Tifa stepped forward and attached herself to Cloud's arm. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he supressed the urge to push the girl away.

"Where have you been? ou just vanished without a word," Tifa complained. Cloud pushed her away and then glared at her angrily.

"Can't you keep your hands to yourself for a moment!" Cloud shouted angrily. Tifa puffed up her cheeks and then tried to lunge at him again, but Vincent grabbed her arm and held her back.

"Stop. Can't you feel the killer intention aimed towards you?" Vincent commented as he gazed at Sephiroth from the corner of his eyes. Tifa gave him a confused look and turned to Sephiroth. She laughed slightly.

"Why are you wet?" she asked.

"None of your bussiness," Sephiroth growled in a rage. Cloud sighed and ignored Tifa to look at his other friends.

"What happened while I was gone?" he questioned.

"Nothing important. Just a small assignment. Include a fight here and there and then you have the basic highlight of the past week," Zack stated humourously. Yuffie moved behind Cloud and reached for the boy's bag.

"If you steal somehting from me again then I'll have to teach you another lesson," Cloud stated without turning around. Yuffie gulped and then backed away before laughing nervously.

"Sorry, old habits die hard," she said.

Aeris stepped forward and smiled at the assassin.

"I'm happy that you're feeling better," she said quietly. Cloud nodded and then turned to Sephiroth.

"We better ge to class. I've missed too many classes already to be kicked out of the classroom for being late," Cloud said. Sephiroth nodded.

"I'll give you the notes since we share most of our classes together," he said. Cloud smiled kindly and they both headed towards the classroom.

"Thank you," Cloud answered.

The group stared at the couple in shock.

"Did Cloud just smile?" Tifa exclaimed loudly.

* * *

At the end of the day, Sephiroth and Cloud headed towards the parking lot, but they were stopped when Tifa and the others blocked their path.

"Move Tifa," Cloud ordered.

"No! I won't let you interact with that rich boy. He's changed you. You even let your hair down! You hate doing that!" she yelled. Aeris stepped forward and tried to calm the dark haired girl down, but the only thing that happened was that she was pushed away by the other girl. Zack caught Aeris before she could fall to the ground.

"Tifa!" Yuffie shouted.

Tifa ignored them and pointed her finger at Sephiroth. She growled in jealousy as the silver haired man put his hand on Cloud's hip. What was worst was that Cloud didn't even seem to care or notice.

"Get you paws off of him," she shouted, "He's mine! Do you understand that?"

Cloud was about to protest, but Sephiroth grabbed his chin and brought their lips close for a kiss. Cloud felt his protests melt away and he just gave into the feeling. The group watched with wide eyed as Cloud hugged Sephiroth's waist. Then he seemed to realise what he was doing and pushed the heir away from him with a deep blush on his face.

"Can't you keep your hands to yourself for a moment?" Cloud complained. He turned to his mute friends and waved at the ones that were petrified, which as mainly Vincent, Zack and Aeirs.

"Always knew he was gay," Zack announced.

"Shut up," Vincent stated as he smacked the black haired teen across the head. Zack glared at the red clothed Vincent and then huffed before turning away. Aeris laughed lightly before she turned back to Cloud. She waved once more and then turned back to their reamining frozen friends and began to help them.

Meanwhile Sephiroth and Cloud had gotten into their own cars, Cloud finally bringing his own car home after leaving it the previous week. He placed the keys in the ignition and then drove out. Sephiroth followed him closely with his own vehicule.

When they arrived at Cloud's condo, they both exited their vehicules and then headed upstairs. The moment that Cloud entered the floor, he was pounced apon by a very unhappy hybrid.

"Where the hell have you been? The least you could have done was give me a phone call," Red XIII complained at the blond assassin.

"You know very well that you can't answer the phone. You can't even reach it," Cloud responded.

"Shut up," Red XIII growled. He took a deep breath and then turned to Sephiroth, who was staring at him like he was insane. "What's your problem?"

"It's a talking...thing," Sephiroth said.

"How rude!" Red XIII complained loudly. Cloud sighed and closed the door behind Sephiroth. He turned to Red XIII and patted his head.

"I'm sorry, but I needed to talk to Seph," Cloud answered. Red XIII straightened himself amd then looked at Sephiroth calmly, observing the man's posture and appearance.

"Seph? Then you must be the famous Sephiroth that Ihas caused Cloud so much trouble," he stated. Sephiroth smirked and then gave the hybrid an amused look.

"That would be me," he announced, "The destroyer of the piece."

* * *

So Red XIII and Sephiroth finally meet. That's all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed.


	11. Flashbacks

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

* * *

Chapter 11 – Flashbacks

Cloud lay in bed that night unable to sleep. He was afraid of the images that would haunt his dreams while he slept. Sephiroth was in the spare room down the hall, but Cloud didn't want to bother the heir so late at night.

He sighed and closed his eyes, awaiting the images that were bound to come to him.

* * *

"_Long time no see… Sephiroth," Cloud said. This Cloud seemed older then before. He looked stranger, but what was different was the look in his eyes. He looked at Sephiroth with a look of complete hatred. Sephiroth smirked and then let out a cruel laugh. _

"_I have no time to deal with bugs like you. Mother is waiting for me to complete her task. Then we can go to the promised land together," Sephiroth mumbled. Cloud's eyes narrowed and he took a few steps back. He didn't like the look in Sephiroth's eyes. _

_A man that looked like Professor Barrett moved beside Cloud and aimed his gunned arm at Sephiroth. _

"_We have to kill him now!" he exclaimed. _

"_Hurry!" Tifa shouted as she appeared on Cloud's other side. A few moments later, Aeris and Red XIII appeared in their view. _

"_Good Luck, Cloud," Aeris cheered. _

"_Hurry up, kid!" RedXIII shouted as he lunged towards the general. Cloud unsheathed his large buster sword and looked at the large blade for a moment. All hesitation disappeared from within him in that moment and he charged forward to meet his enemy in battle. _

Scenery change,

_Cloud was waiting for Aeris in a strange building. The pink clad woman suddenly appeared from one of the doors around the blond. She rushed to the boy and smiled. _

"_Have you been waiting long?" she asked. Cloud shook his head calmly and then they began to talk. Cloud didn't know how long they were talking but suddenly Sephiroth dropped from the ceiling. _

_He drove his long blade through Aeris' body. Cloud watched in horror as the girl's body dropped lifelessly. Sephiroth removed his sword from her flesh and she fell to the ground, dead. _

"_Aeris!" Cloud screamed. _

Another change.

_Cloud stood in front of a lake with the dead body of Aeris in his arms. He had tears streaming down his face. The lake was surrounded by a snow covered ground and there were beautiful white trees everywhere. It was almost like a scene out of a painting. _

_Cloud wadded into the water and went to the middle of the lake. He lowered Aeris' body into the water and then moved backwards slightly. He watched as the cold body began to sink to the bottom, where it would remain for the rest of time. _

"_Aeris…" Cloud murmured one last time. _

'Is everyone I care about going to leave me in the end?' _he thought desperately. _

Another one.

"_Sephiroth! Today is the day you die!" Cloud exclaimed. Both he and Sephiroth had their weapons unsheathed and pointed towards the other. _

"_I have no time for this! I must protect mother and make her wishes come true," Sephiroth answered. With a battle cry, Cloud charged forward and then the battle began. Swords clashed and wounds were made. _

_No one knew how long the battle lasted. It could have been hours or minutes, but in the end; Cloud was the one to claim victory. He watched as Sephiroth dropped to the floor then he felt his own body weakening and he fell beside the fallen general. As the light faded from Sephiroth's eyes, he turned to Cloud and Cloud watched him with half lidded eyes. There was a trail of blood leaking from Sephiroth's lips. _

"_I'm so sorry…Cloud…" he whispered and with the utterance of those words, Sephiroth died under the gaze of his lover. Cloud felt tears gather in his eyes and he placed his hand over Sephiroth's cold, dead, fingers. _

"_No…I'm sorry…I really did love you," he murmured. Then Cloud dropped unconscious because of his blood lost. _

* * *

Cloud awoke with a cry of anguish passing through his lips. He sat up in his bed and then placed his face in his hands. For the first time in a long time, he wept and sobbed until the pain deep within his heart had lessened.

There was a knock on the door, but when he didn't answer the door opened by itself. Sephiroth entered the room. When he saw the sad look on Cloud's face he rushed towards him and sat on the bed. A second later, he embraced the assassin tightly.

"Cloud? What's wrong?" he asked.

"More memories from another life, they were so sad. So many deaths," he answered in a whisper. Sephiroth released the boy and then suddenly Cloud gave a cry of pain. He clutched his head with his hands and closed his eyes. Images began to flash behind his eyelids.

-Flashback-

"_Mother!" a three year Cloud shouted as he rushed towards a blond woman. She had the same blue eyes as that was rushing in her direction. _

"_Cloud. What do you have there?" she questioned as she noticed her son trying to hide something behind him back. Cloud blushed and then showed her what he was trying to hide. In his hands was a small bouquet of wild flowers that he had gathered from the forest floor. He handed them to his mother. _

"_Are those for me?" she asked. Cloud nodded. She smiled and then took his hands in hers. "Let's go home now. I'll put these in a vase of water when we get home."_

_Cloud nodded and they both headed down the mountain path that would lead them to their home. Suddenly there was the sound of gunshots and Cloud's mother fell to the ground. Cloud fell to his knees and began to shake her. _

"_Mother! Mother!" he called out. She used all her strength to lift her head to look at her child. Her skin was pale from blood loss and they could both hear shouting from nearby. The sky darkened terribly and rain began to fall. _

"_Cloud…run…" she begged. Cloud quickly shook his head and gave his mother a stubborn look. _

"_I won't leave you alone here," he answered. They heard a branch snap and they both turned their heads to see a bunch of men in black with guns gazing at them. The woman looked at the men one last time before she turned back to her son. With the last of her strength, she pushed the boy away. _

"_Run!" she shouted. _

_A man opened fire on the woman and she reached out to Cloud one last time before her arm fell limply to the ground. Cloud turned to run like he'd been told, but another man grabbed him. The last thing the boy saw before he was knocked unconscious was the flowers he had picked being trampled by a pair of black shoes that was near his mother's dead body. _

-End of Flashback-

Cloud's shoulders shook and he collapsed into Sephiroth's arms before breaking down mentally.

* * *

Here's finally a bit of Cloud actual past instead of his past life. I hope this made things much more interesting. Hope you enjoyed it.


	12. Skip a Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII

* * *

Chapter 12 – Skip a Day

Cloud cried and held onto Sephiroth tightly as if he were the only thing keeping him alive. The heir just comforted him and rubbed the assassin's back. He whispered soothing words into his ear and waited for Cloud to calm down. When that was done, Sephiroth pulled away and stared at Cloud straight in the eyes.

"Feel better?" he asked. Cloud slowly nodded and held onto Sephiroth once more.

"What did you see?" Sephiroth asked.

"My mother. My biological one at least. She was killed. She was trying to tell me to run away as she lay dying, but I was too stubborn to listen," Cloud answered. Sephiroth frowned and then tightened his hold on the assassin.

"Do you know who did it?" he asked. Cloud shook his head slowly and then brought a hand to his temple.

"I don't remember. All I saw were men in black suits," Cloud explained. Sephiroth laughed lightly.

"That about describes every shady business in the whole world," he stated. Cloud blushed and huffed angrily.

"There's no need to tease me about it," he said. He jumped out of bed and then calmly exited the room. Sephiroth followed him and then they both headed towards the kitchen. Red XIII was sleeping in his room, so the condo was very quiet. Cloud went to the coffee machine.

"Coffee?" he asked as he took out two mugs.

"Yes, please," Sephiroth answered politely. Cloud poured the steaming liquid and handed one of the mugs to Sephiroth before taking his own and sipping from it. Next, Cloud went to his laptop on the table and calmly typed in his password. Sephiroth moved behind him so that he could read what appeared on the screen.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's my computer system. I built it myself," he stated calmly. Sephiroth read the codename and smirked.

"SOLDIER?" he read.

"Don't laugh!" Cloud complained. He turned back to the screen and then checked his email. There was one from the same person that had sent him the letter a few days ago.

"Who's that?" Sephiroth asked as he drank from his mug.

"The person who ordered me to kill you," Cloud answered. Sephiroth went quiet and they both read the mail.

Soldier,

You've already had a week to complete your assignment and it's taken you much too long. The target must be killed before the Gala next week. I've promised you good money to finish the job. Do not disappoint me.

X

"The codename X is too over used these days," Cloud complained.

"He knows about the Gala, so he must be one of my father's guests," Sephiroth stated. Cloud shrugged and then turned back to the screen.

"Isn't it actually dangerous for you to receive your assassin's mail directly to your house and your email?" Sephiroth asked cautiously. Cloud turned to his boyfriend.

"I don't get my mail directly. There's a box in the post office that they all store up at. Only Vincent and Aeris have the keys, so they bring me my mail at school. The email is forwarded from an anonymous account. Even if someone were to try to follow me, they wouldn't be able to find me. There's no need to worry about me being caught," Cloud explained. He turned back towards the screen and hit the reply Icon. He began to type.

Dear X

I have grown bored with your job. Keep your money. I don't need it. And if you ever try to order me around again then you'll find that you and my targets have something in common. Keep that in mind.

SOLDIER

Cloud clicked send and the message disappeared from the screen. Sephiroth whistled and ruffled Cloud's hair playfully.

"Giving up already?" he teased.

"I can't go killing my boyfriend can I," Cloud answered. He typed some more and another email popped up. He read it and gave a quick reply. Sephiroth frowned and then closed the lap top.

"Why did you accept that mission?" he asked seriously, but his voice left no room for disagreement. Cloud got up from his chair and then put his mug in the sink.

It's my job. I can't just stop. Besides, it pays very well," he responded. Sephiroth sighed and then followed Cloud's example.

"Then I'll have to come with you," he announced sadly.

Cloud turned around quickly to give his boyfriend an odd look.

"You want to come?" he said. Sephiroth nodded. Cloud shook his head and then pulled on Sephiroth's silver strands.

"You can't. You have too many distinct features and you'll be easily recognized if you're seen," he responded.

"I won't be seen," he vowed in response.

"Fine. We have to go in during the day. That means that we'll have to skip school today," Cloud said.

"Fine by me," Sephiroth stated calmly.

* * *

When the sun rose, they both got ready. A few hours before, Sephiroth had made a quick trip home to grab some of his things.

Cloud wore his usual black outfit and placed the mask on his face. He had replaced the mask that Sephiroth had broken with a new one. He now had a wolf mask (like the ones in Naruto that the Anbu wear).

Cloud glanced at Sephiroth and saw that he was wearing an outfit similar to the one that he had worn in the memories of their previous lives together. However, the older man was not wearing a mask.

"Why are you wearing something like that and aren't you going to wear a mask?" Cloud stated.

"I have no intention of being seen so there's no point in putting one on," Sephiroth answered. Cloud rolled his eyes at the smugness of his boyfriend and decided not to comment on it.

"Let's just get going," Cloud said as they slipped out of the building.

* * *

Let's see how their message turns out,


	13. Favors

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 13 – Favors

The job went over very well. Sephiroth ended up killing the target because he had refused to allow Cloud to kill what Sephiroth referred to as "a piece of filthy trash." Cloud had let him do whatever he wanted because he hadn't been in the mood to argue with the heir especially when the target was right in front of them looking like he was about to scream or piss in his pants.

"That was boring," Sephiroth complained as they returned to Cloud's apartment. The silver haired man had complained all the way back and Cloud was beginning to get extremely annoyed with him.

"Then you shouldn't have come," Cloud answered back.

"I couldn't have let you handle that filth. He smelt so horrible," Sephiroth stated, Cloud sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"That's because he was drunk," Cloud answered.

Sephiroth went quiet for a moment before he gained a serious look. He turned to Cloud and grabbed the assassin's hand.

"Cloud," he said.

"What?" Cloud answered calmly, beginning to get suspicious about the change in personality.

"Can you accompany me to the Gala?" he asked. Cloud blushed because it seemed like the older man was asking him out on a date.

"I can't," Cloud responded.

"Why?" Sephiroth questioned.

"I've never been to one of these things," he responded. "I wouldn't want to embarrass you," he added. Sephiroth shook his head and then he tightened his grip on the assassin's hand.

"Come…please," he begged.

Cloud went silent for a moment and then he nodded his head. Sephiroth smiled happily and then pulled Cloud closer towards him. He caught the blond's lips in a searing kiss as thanks for accepting the proposition. Cloud moaned and then wrapped his arms around Cloud's neck. Sephiroth began to trail kisses down Cloud's neck and the blond boy gasped, letting out a sultry moan. Suddenly there was the sound of someone clearing their throat in the background.

Cloud turned his head and saw Red XIII standing nearby with glaze filled eyes.

"Did I interrupt anything?" he asked. Cloud blushed and then quietly shook his head.

"Red XIII! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Cloud complained. Red XIII grinned and gave his master a playful look.

"It's not my fault that you decided to almost have sex on the kitchen floor," he teased happily. Cloud growled and then decided to glare at the hybrid.

"You don't need to be mean," he grumbled. Sephiroth laughed and approached his lover before embracing him.

"Don't cry," he teased.

"I'm not crying," he mumbled.

"He's just tired," Red XIII stated. Cloud didn't respond to that comment which proved that the statement was true. Sephiroth bent down and grabbed the assassin behind the knees before he hoisted him up to carry in his arms. Cloud cried out in surprise and wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck to regain his balance.

"That was uncalled for," he complained.

"It's all in good fun. You know that," came the smug answer from the heir. Cloud sighed and let himself be carried into his bedroom. Sephiroth placed the exhausted body on the bed and then sat down on the mattress.

"Sleep. I know that you did not rest last night after your nightmare," he announced. A sad look crossed Cloud's features.

"How could I when every time I closed my eyes I would see the bloodied corpse of my mother," Cloud murmured in the softest voice that Sephiroth had ever heard.

"Then rest now," Sephiroth ordered. Cloud closed his eyes…for some strange reason he found himself unable to resist the order. It didn't take long for him to enter a peaceful slumber.

Sephiroth watched over him throughout the night, never once letting his gaze stray from his lover's peaceful face.

* * *

Sorry about the short chapter, the book I was writing in ran out of space. Hope you enjoyed the chapter even though it's really short.


	14. Gala

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 14 – Gala

"I don't like it here…" Cloud whispered uncomfortably as he entered the extravagant mansion. Sephiroth was at his side with a neutral expression on his face.

"It's not that bad," Sephiroth responded. The only answer he got from Cloud was a harsh glare.

"Sephiroth!" someone shouted.

Cloud froze for some reason. The voice had come from behind him and he was suddenly trapped within a sphere of fear. Sephiroth immediately noticed the tense figure of his lover. However, Sephiroth could not speak to Cloud because he had to turn around and look at the person approaching. Cloud kept his back turned.

"Hello father," Sephiroth greeted.

"Hojo!" someone else shouted. Cloud didn't recognize the voice and he didn't care. "You are needed with the others. They want to take a picture."

"I'll be right there. I'll speak to you later, Sephiroth. Maybe then you'll introduce me to your new friend," Hojo stated before he left the couple. Once he was gone, Sephiroth grabbed Cloud's hand and dragged him to the gardens in the back of the mansion. There was a maze, so Sephiroth brought the assassin there so that they could be hidden from unwanted watchful eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked as he touched Cloud's cheeks and brought his chin up so that they could look in each others eyes.

"I recognized the voice and I froze. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"My father?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud nodded his head slowly.

"That voice was the same as the one from my memories. He's the one who was ordering the other scientists around," Cloud whispered.

"Maybe it was just a coincidence," Sephiroth stated hoping that it was the truth. He knew that his father had done some very fearful things in the past and that he still did some of those things to this day. Sephiroth hated his father with a passion and it didn't help that that hateful man looked like the Hojo from his previous life.

"I hope so," Cloud mumbled. He took a deep breath of fresh air and willed his body to relax.

"Do you want to go back?" he asked quietly. Cloud nodded and took Sephiroth's hand. The heir led the assassin out of the maze back to the Gala.

Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes and a man dressed in black jumped out. He had a gun with a silencer one in his hands and it was aimed at Sephiroth.

"Watch out!" Cloud shouted just as the trigger was pulled. The blond assassin jumped in front of Sephiroth and the bullet pierced his shoulder instead of Sephiroth's heart. Since Cloud was used to pain, he was able to act quickly and take out a hidden dagger from his suit and threw it.

The man eyes widened and turned to run, but the dagger got him right in the back where the man's spine was. Cloud growled angrily and stomped all the way to the still man. He was still able to talk, but Cloud was in no mood to be kind. He stalked to the man and then placed his foot on the man's throat. The man began to thrash around trying to breath. He gave Cloud a pleading look.

"When I release you, you will tell me everything I need to know. You cannot run. I have severed the lower half of your spine and now you are permanently paralyzed from the neck down," Cloud said. The man quietly nodded his head and removed his foot.

"Who sent you?" Cloud asked.

"Some man named X. He said that he'd give me a large sum of money if I could kill the heir," the man said quietly, hoping that his life would be spared.

"X? That filthy man tried to hire another assassin," Cloud mumbled. The man's eyes went wide.

"The client said that he only tried to contact one other assassin. The most famous of all. SOLDIER. Then you must be…" the man never got to finish his sentence because Cloud took the dagger from his back and stabbed him in the back of the head.

"Sorry, but no one unknown can know my identity," Cloud whispered. He wiped the blood off the dagger and hid it back within his suit. Sephiroth approached his lover.

"You're hurt," he said quietly. Cloud hid his wound with his hand and refused to look in Sephiroth's eyes.

"It's not serious," he stated. However, Sephiroth would hear none of his excuses. He grabbed the assassin's hand and dragged him into the parking lot.

"What about the Gala?" Cloud questioned as he was pushed into the vehicle.

"I'm not staying for a moment longer. I only came because my father ordered me to. He saw me so I can leave now. Besides, I'd rather not be there when they discover the dead body," Sephiroth explained. He got into the driver's seat and instantly drove to his house.

He unlocked the door and came face to face with Angel. She spotted the injured Cloud and ushered them inside before she closed and locked the door. They all sat on the couch and Angel rushed to get the medical kit.

"The bullet is still inside," Cloud stated as he removed his shirt.

"I know. There is no exit wound," she answered. She removed the small metal piece and quietly discarded it before cleaning the injury. Then she quietly wrapped it and bandaged it tightly.

"It should hold for a while," Angel said. She turned to Sephiroth who had remained silent during the whole process.

"What happened?"

"He took a bullet for me…" was the answer. There was silence for a moment and then Angel turned to Cloud. She got to her knees and bowed down low before him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"It was nothing. My evening had already been ruined so this was nothing. All in all, it actually helped to relieve all the stress I felt," Cloud stated. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he growled. "However, this X shall pay for disobeying me. My rules say that once a mission has been rejected it cannot be asked again to another person. I hate it when people break the rules."

* * *

So Cloud's angry and is seeking blood from this mystery X person. Hopefully the next chapter will have more action in it. Sorry that it's still short, I'm getting lazy.


	15. X

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 15 – X

Cloud sat at his laptop at his apartment. He had hastily left Sephiroth's house so he could begin his research on his new target. He absolutely hated it when people broke the rules that were there to protect them. However, what Cloud hated the most was a broken promise. There had been so many in his life that he didn't wish to start again. This X person had made a big mistake by making himself the enemy of the deadliest assassin in the world.

"Have you found anything yet?" Red XIII asked as he approached the thoughtful teen.

"His name is Heidigger. He's an associate of Hojo. It seems that this fat ass thought that he could kill the heir and then Hojo before taking over Mako Industries," Cloud stated as he brought up a picture of a fat man wearing the ugliest green suit that Cloud had ever seen. Red XIII scuffed in distaste.

"That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen," Red XIII complained. Cloud forced himself not to laugh, but a smile did manage to pass through.

"That he is," Cloud agreed.

"Where is he now?" Red XIII questioned as he looked at the screen. Cloud clicked the mouse and a text appeared.

"He was at the gala the other night so he's probably still in the city. I'm checking his hotel at the moment. My network will be able to find him," Cloud stated. He sat back in his chair and waited for more data to arrive.

"You should call your friends. Zack and Aeris along with the red clothed silent one," Red XIII stated. Cloud mentally laughed at the hybrid's nickname for Vincent, though the other could care less about what he was called. Cloud smiled at the thought of these three people. He knew that he could always true them. It wasn't like he had a problem with the other two. It was just that Yuffie had a habit of robbing him and Tifa was just… well Tifa. The girl couldn't stop drooling over him for a moment and she just couldn't comprehend the fact that he wasn't interested.

"I guess I should call them," Cloud admitted. He reached out for the phone and gave a frustrated sigh when he couldn't reach it. He stood up and grabbed the cordless phone before sitting back down. He quickly dialed the first number and waited for someone to pick up on the other side.

"Hello. This is Vincent speaking," someone said as they picked up the phone.

"Hey. It's Cloud."

"Cloud? Why are you calling? You don't call very often," Vincent said quietly. Cloud could instantly read the curiosity behind the silent boy's voice.

"It's important. I need help with something," Cloud answered calmly.

"Help?" Vincent repeated calmly.

"Someone has made me very angry after I dissolved a contract with him. He had the guts to hire another assassin to do the job for him. I'm not very happy about that," Cloud explained. A small laugh came from the other side of the phone.

"I can see that," Vincent responded.

There was silence for a moment on the other side before a sigh was heard.

"Fine. I'll help, but I'm sensing that there's another reason behind this hidden anger of yours," Vincent stated. Cloud smirked. Vincent knew him well and could easily read him even though they weren't face to face.

"Besides, how did you know that there was another assassin involved," Vincent added.

"I was there at the time. The target was with me when he was attacked. Only one shot was fired before I brought him down. I severed his spine and had him talk," Cloud explained as he remembered everything that happened that day.

"Did you kill him?"

"The client told him about me. I had no choice," Cloud replied. A sigh was once again heard from the other end.

"Was it Sephiroth? Was he the target?"

Cloud was silent.

"It was him then. No wonder you sound so pissed," Vincent said. Cloud could almost hear the other's amusement about the whole affair.

"I took a bullet for him," Cloud stated bluntly. There was silence again before Vincent broke it.

"You actually let the assassin injure you? You've fallen hard then. You've never helped anyone before without a reason behind it," Vincent said.

"Can you just come over right away?" Cloud asked, beginning to sound exasperated.

"Fine."

"Can I ask another favor?"

"What?" came the reply.

"Could you pick up Zack and Aeris and inform them of the situation," Cloud asked.

"Sure thing," Vincent responded in a soft voice. The silent man was really close to the assassin so he was happy to help whenever he could. When the conversation was over, they both hung up the phone. Cloud placed the phone back on the receiver and turned to Red XIII.

"They're coming."

* * *

The doorbell rang an hour later and Cloud quietly went to answer it. His three guests quickly entered the apartment and settled themselves in the living room where Cloud had moved his laptop so that they could all be more comfortable. Zack and Aeris sat on one couch while Vincent and Cloud sat on the one facing them. There was a table in between both of them where the laptop was.

"What are we doing?" Zack questioned.

"The usual," Cloud answered.

"Basically infiltrate and annihilate," Aeris stated as she stared at the blond assassin. Even though she had no amazing physical capabilities, she was really good with a computer and could always be counted on to use her intellect.

"Pretty much," Cloud responded. Zack leaned back on the couch and then gave the blond a bored look.

"Let's get this plan going," he stated. Vincent cleared his throat and then turned his attention to Cloud.

"Before we begin I want to see the wound that was given to you," he announced. Cloud blushed and then sighed because he knew that they wouldn't get anywhere until Vincent had his way. Cloud slowly took off his shirt and looked away in shame.

Aeris gasped when she saw his bandaged shoulder.

"What happened?" she asked.

"It's obvious that he was shot," Zack stated. He was quickly whacked in the back of the head by Aeris' head.

"Shut up! I meant how!" Aeris objected angrily. There were only a few times that she had seen Cloud with a serious wound such as the one he had at the moment.

"I protected Sephiroth," Cloud said as he watched Vincent examined the bandages. When he was satisfied, he grabbed Cloud's shirt and handed it back to him. Cloud quickly put on the piece of clothing and picked up his laptop. He typed a few keys before he turned the screen to Aeris and Zack.

"Ugly," Zack said instantly. Aeris didn't say anything for the insult because he was right. Cloud pressed another key and a large amount data replaced the picture.

"The target is Heidigger. He is a high ranking man that owns a small share of Mako Industries. He's currently residing in Hotel Kin which is a five star hotel that is really well known," Cloud explained as he scrolled through all the information.

"I'll take care of the infiltration part. That's always so easy," Zack said. Aeris smiled.

"I'll take the communication job and stay at HQ," she volunteered.

"I'm with Cloud as usual," Vincent mumbled quietly. They all nodded and began to plot.

* * *

I don't know why but it seems that I've made Vincent appear to be like an overprotective brother. Heidigger will appear in the next chapter and the assassination will take place there too. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	16. Assassination

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 16 – Assassination

Zack moved through the lobby of the expensive hotel. He was dressed as a waiter and he was holding a metal platter in his hands.

"Newbie! Get over here!" a man behind a counter said. Zack sighed and then headed towards the man. He had glasses that kept falling over his nose and a black suit.

"What?" Zack stated.

"Keep up that attitude and you won't even last the day," he stated rudely. Zack rolled his eyes and then leaned his elbow on the counter. He looked at the register and then, looking bored, turned his gaze back to the man.

"Whatever," he responded.

"There are platters that need to be brought to a room. Everyone else is busy so I want you to take care of it," he answered. Zack mock saluted and then grabbed the platters and headed towards the employee elevator. The employees were separated from the guest because they didn't want to get in each others way.

Zack exited on the floor he wanted to be on and then looked at all the doors aligned together. He set the platters in front of a random door and looked around. He placed a finger on his ear.

"I'm in," he whispered. There was a small ear piece hidden inside of his ear, so he could speak and hear Aeris.

"Good job, but what took so long?" she questioned in an annoyed voice.

"Sorry about that. Some old geezer kept on ordering me around. I absolutely hate this place. It's filled with snotty nosed rich people that love to fling their money around. Thankfully I know how to deal with people like them," Zack replied calmly as he reached a certain door.

"The room number is 304," he stated. He carefully lifted his hand and knocked on the door. There was some cursing on the other side and the door slammed open to reveal the fat man that had been in the picture that Cloud had showed them all.

"What?" Heidigger growled. His breath smelled terrible and he was filthy with sweat. Zack resisted the urge to throw up right there. He forced a smile on his face and then bowed lightly to the man.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but there's a slight leak in the hallway and I must ask you to remain in your room for the rest of the night. By morning the problem should be fixed," he stated. Heidigger nodded and then slammed the door shut. Zack smirked and then took out a small bottle from his pocket. He leaked the contents on the edges of the door. When the substance touched the door, the hinges melted and so did the cracks of the door, making it impossible to open.

"What the hell is this stuff," Zack said as he looked at the label, but there was no indication to what it was.

"It's homemade. It acts like an acid and melts the first thing it touches. The bottle used to contain it is the only thing that doesn't melt when in contact with it. Once the acid touches something, its molecular structure becomes unstable until it collapses, thus creating the melting effect," Aeris explained. Zack could tell that she was impressed with the substance. He placed the bottle back into his pocket and turned his back to the door. He knew that Heidigger wouldn't be able to get out no matter how he tried because the door was melted to the frame.

"I can't believe you made me carry something that dangerous. What could have happened if I'd dropped it? Who would make something this dangerous," Zack asked.

"You'd have managed somehow if it split. Cloud was the one who made it," Aeris answered. Zack sighed and then grabbed the platters that he had deposited before. He looked at his watch. It was already 9:00 p.m. He smirked and headed towards the elevator so he could deliver his platters.

"Mission complete. Over and out," Zack said before the elevator doors closed. "Time to go get fired," he added humorously.

* * *

Aeris smirked and then typed on Cloud's laptop as she connected to the next group. Everything was going according to plan.

"It's so easy that a child could have done that blindfolded," she stated.

* * *

Cloud's cell phone rang and he quietly answered it.

"It's Aeris. The target is on the 30th floor in the fourth room. Zack has accomplished his goal," she announced. Cloud nodded and then turned to Vincent who also gave a slight nod of the head.

"Understood. Retreat and wait until we come back," Cloud ordered as he put on his mask.

"Roger that," Aeris answered before the line went dead. Cloud put his phone away and then looked at the tall building in front of them. They were on the roof of the smaller building beside it.

"It's on the 30th floor. Zack said it was room 304 so the window to the room would be facing west," Cloud calculated. Vincent nodded and quietly jumped on one of the balconies of the hotel. Cloud followed him closely. They both kept on jumping until they had reached the balcony they had been looking for.

"Floor 300," Vincent said. Cloud jumped two balconies beside it and looked through the window, being careful so he wouldn't be seen. Heidigger was on his bed with a prostitute woman.

'_Bingo…but that's just sick,'_ Cloud thought as he stared at the two of them. He turned back to Vincent and then nodded. They both took a deep breath and then smashed through the glass window. The people in the room screamed and then jumped off the bed. Heidigger was only wearing some shorts and the woman was only in her underwear and bra.

"What business do you have here?" Heidigger shouted angrily.

"I'm here to make sure that you fulfill your date with death," Cloud stated through his mask. The prostitute jumped away from the man and rushed to the door. She turned the door knob and tried to push the door open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Don't bother. The door's been sealed from the outside," Vincent announced. The woman cried out in a panic and began to pound her fists against the door. Vincent calmly approached her. He didn't get too close because he didn't like her kind.

"You shouldn't try something like that. The doors here are so thick so your pounding won't even be heard on the other side," he said. The woman screamed again and Vincent took out his gun. Her screeching voice was getting so annoying so he put a silencer on the weapon and pulled the trigger. The girl's shouts ceased and then all went quiet. Her body slid down the door, blood being left behind as she fell.

"What did you do?" Heidigger shouted.

"Shut up!" Cloud hissed as he unsheathed his large weapon and then placed it against the fat man's neck. The man stared at him in fright.

"What do you want? I'll give you everything you want!" Heidigger begged as he stared at Cloud's mask.

"Didn't I tell you before not to order me around," Cloud whispered. The man went quiet and then his eyes went wide. He fell back to his knees in shock.

"It's you," he hissed.

"That's right," Cloud answered as he pushed the blade forward a little so that it would slightly cut him.

"Stop playing with him and get to work," Vincent ordered. He watched as Cloud lifted the big sword and then winced because of his shoulder wound. Heidigger immediately grabbed something under his pillow. It was a small knife. Cloud winced again from the wound and then he saw the glint of the blade. Vincent immediately raised his weapons and shot the man multiple times. Cloud finished his job by bringing down his sword and severing Heidigger's head.

Vincent sighed and approached Cloud who had re-sheathed his weapon.

"What happened?" he asked.

"My wound reopened," Cloud stated, though he knew that he should have been ashamed that he hadn't been able to kill his target directly.

* * *

Heidigger's finally dead and there was no Sephiroth in this chapter. Hope you liked this chapter. Please review.


	17. Vials

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

Sorry I had to repost this chapter. I kept on spelling vials wrong but my spell-check didn't catch it. So I think I got them all, but if I didn't can you please tell me. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter 17 – Vials

Cloud returned to his apartment with Vincent. He was hanging off of Vincent's shoulder because he wasn't feeling very well. Zack and Aeris saw both of them and they immediately rushed to help and brought him to the couch.

"What wrong with him?" Aeris asked.

"I don't know, but he said that his wound reopened so let's see if it's infected," Vincent announced calmly. They slowly removed Cloud shirt, but the assassin could care less because he was in so much pain.

"Aeris gasped when he saw that the bandages were soaked with blood. They immediately got some new wrapping and softly removed the old ones. The bullet wound was wider than before and the skin around it was slowly being eaten.

"That looks really painful," Zack stated.

"There must have been some tissue eating acid on the bullet. The effects must have only taken affect now. It was treated by an amateur so it wasn't acid tested," Vincent explained. He put a wet cloth on the wound in the hopes that it would slow the spreading.

"Then let's just use the antidote then," Zack stated. Aeris once again smacked Zack on the back of the head.

"Idiot! Cloud was shot by an assassin! Don't you remember that each assassin makes their own poisons and other dangerous substances? This is done so that only they will have the antidote and no one else," Aeris explained. Zack listened carefully and absorbed all the important details.

"This could prove to be difficult," Vincent stated.

"Why? All we have to do is find the assassin and take the antidote. We could even rough his up a bit for even thinking of hurting Cloud," Zack answered thinking that it was the most brilliant idea in the world.

"That's impossible," Aeris whispered.

"Why?"

"One, an assassin wouldn't hand over something like that without a fight and two, he's already dead. Cloud killed him," she stated.

"What are we going to do now? The body must have been found by now. We can't just walk into the city morgue and go 'Hey, I need an antidote for my friend and one of the dead guys that came recently has it, so can you let me go in and rob him of all his personal belonging?" Zack said. Vincent sighed and picked up Cloud's phone. He dialed a quick number and then placed the phone on his ear.

"It's time to call his boyfriend," he stated.

* * *

Sephiroth was about to take a bath when the phone rang. He ignored it because he knew that Angel would take care of it, but the moment he stepped out of his room, the green haired girl charged at him.

"The phone is for you. It's very urgent!" she shouted. Sephiroth looked at the phone in her hand with a look of suspiciousness. Angel sighed and shoved the receiver into his hands. "It's about Cloud. Something happened to him," she announced. Sephiroth immediately put the phone to his ear.

"Hello!" he shouted.

"Finally! I don't have time to explain because every second Cloud's condition worsens. I need you to go to the place where the body of the man who attacked you is and retrieve a vial that he has," Vincent asked.

"It will be done right away," Sephiroth responded. He hung up the phone and then turned to Angel.

"Get the car ready. We're going to the morgue," he announced.

* * *

They drove at top speed and quickly reached their destination. Sephiroth dashed out of the vehicle and entered the building. He went to the front desk and waited for someone to come.

"Well Sephiroth, I didn't expect to see you today, especially not here," someone said from behind the heir. The heir froze and turned around to come face to face with Hojo.

"Father," Sephiroth stated calmly.

"Why are you here?" Hojo questioned as he approached his son. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed.

"I should be asking 'that' question," he answered back.

"There was a body discovered at the Gala. I have come to examine it. They say he was stabbed in the back of the head and that his spine had been severed. I was curious," the man responded. Sephiroth sighed, knowing that his father wouldn't let him continue on his way if he didn't tell why he was here.

"That man…he attacked me at the Gala sometime after you left," Sephiroth stated. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at his son.

"You killed him?"

"Yes, but it seems that I dropped something when I left and I want to see if it's here," Sephiroth explained. Hojo nodded and motioned his hand to indicate him to follow. They both entered a room that contained large wooden boxes.

"The items on the body are always removed and put in a different place. The items you are looking for will probably be here," Hojo explained as he picked up a specific box. He opened the lid. Sephiroth immediately spotted the vial and reached out his hand to take it.

"How is your friend? The blond one. Where was he when you were attacked?" Hojo questioned. Sephiroth's hand froze above the vial. He didn't turn to face his father and grabbed the vial.

"He left earlier. He hadn't been feeling very well and I had forced him to come anyway," Sephiroth lied easily as he hid the vial in his pocket. He knew that his father had seen him taking the vial.

"Too bad. I wished to talk to him. I felt as if I'd seen him before. Maybe you should introduce him to me one day," Hojo stated. Sephiroth turned away and began to walk away.

"Maybe," he replied but in his mind he was thinking 'no way in hell.' When his son was gone, Hojo smirked and then closed his eyes. He hadn't seen Cloud's face, but he would be able to recognize the boy anywhere.

"I finally found you once again," he whispered in a haunting voice.

* * *

Sephiroth got into the car and quickly told Angel to drive to Cloud's condo. They managed to get there in record time. They both got out of the car and rushed to the apartment where Vincent was waiting for them at the door.

"Do you have it?" he asked desperately. Sephiroth immediately handed over the vial. Vincent grabbed it and slammed the door open. They all went to Cloud's side. The assassin's features were filled with pain and Sephiroth's heart went out to him. Aeris removed the cloth from the wound and Sephiroth immediately winced at the horrible sight. Vincent opened the vial and poured it on the wound. Aeris put the wet cloth back on and pressed on it so that the antidote would seep through his skin.

After a few minutes, the pain filling Cloud's face disappeared and he relaxed. He was now sleeping peacefully. Aeris took another wet cloth and dabbed away the sweat on his skin.

"He's out of trouble for the moment," Aeris announced. Angel stepped forward and began to wrap the wound again. Zack fell onto the empty couch with a sigh of relief.

"That took about 20 years off my life," he complained.

"Doesn't that mean that you're going to die soon? We already assumed that you wouldn't live until you were forty," Aeris joked.

Zack glared at her angrily.

"That's nice," he hissed.

Everyone around them began to laugh and Sephiroth for the first time in his life thought that it might be fun to have friends for the first time in his life.

* * *

Cloud is out of danger for now, but I wonder what fate has in store for him now.


	18. Bed Rest

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 18 – Bed Rest

Cloud groaned and quietly opened his eyes. He immediately saw the faces of many people above him. He blushed and tried to sit up though Vincent put his hand on his healthy shoulder and pushed him back down.

"I wouldn't try to get up if I were you," he warned. That's why Cloud noticed that he was in his room on his bed.

'_My room? I don't remember going to my room?' _he thought. He tried to open his mouth but Aeris put her finger on his lips.

"No talking either. You are not to get out of this bed until one of us," Aeris motioned to herself, Zack, Vincent, Angel and Sephiroth, "Let you. Is that understood?"

"If it was my choice he'd be there all the time," Sephiroth stated. Cloud blushed as he understood the hidden meaning behind Sephiroth's words. He mouthed the word 'Pervert' and averted his eyes.

"Now that you're all better we can chew you out for giving us such a scare," Zack complained.

"Scare?" Cloud replied.

"You could have died, you idiot. That acid was eating at you from the inside!" Aeris cried out. Angel stepped forward and bowed to the laying assassin.

"Forgive me. I was the one that tended to the wound. My inattentions could have cost you your life," she whispered. Cloud slowly shook his head and winced when a painful throb came from his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. You don't know about assassins so you wouldn't have known how to cure it. Besides, it was my own carelessness that put me in such a state. While you didn't know, I was highly informed in the matter and I simply drew a blank," Cloud explained. Angel smiled kindly before taking a step back to let the others see him.

"Do I have any missions?" Cloud asked as he tried to sit up again. However, he was once again pushed down by Vincent.

"How many times have we told you not to get up? We forbid you from taking any missions until you are well," Vincent ordered. Suddenly Red XIII stepped into the room and wandered through the crowd until he was right in from of the bed. He turned to the guests.

"Don't you have school?" he questioned.

"Yes, but we decided to skip. We can't leave Cloud here all day long," Aeris explained as she stared at the resting assassin. Cloud shook his head.

"You should go. Zack was at the hotel yesterday so the police will want to question him. It won't help if you're all missing," Cloud said. Red XIII immediately agreed with his master. They all went quiet for a moment before Aeris nodded.

"I understand," she announced as she began to push everyone out of the bedroom. Cloud waved at them calmly and smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll find something to keep myself occupied," Cloud exclaimed as they walked through the front door.

"That's what we're worried about!" Zack answered back, but just as he was about to turn around, Aeris slammed the door in his face. Cloud could hear them arguing in the hallway until everything went quiet. Cloud sighed and sat before slowly getting out of bed. Red XIII was immediately at his side as he wobbled out of the room.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Of course. I just need to get some pain killers and then I'm going to go back to sleep," he murmured in reply. True to his word, Cloud downed a few pills and then went straight back to bed. He was out like a rock in mere seconds.

* * *

Somewhere else within the city, an evil plot was being put into motion.

Hojo was sitting in the back of his limousine and he was looking at a clipboard which was held tightly in his hands. Upon closer inspection, the clipboard had a picture of a blond boy with crystal blue eyes. Under the picture was a larger amount of data that seemed extremely complicated.

"It's been far too long since we've last seen each other, Cloud Strife," he taunted. An evil smile appeared on his face and he immediately ordered his driver to go faster.

* * *

Cloud was sleeping when a loud banging noise could be heard. He immediately awoke from his slumber. He glanced at the clock beside his bed and then realized that it couldn't be anyone from school because they were still in the middle of their classes.

'_I wonder who that could be,' _Cloud thought as he got out of bed. He walked to the door and was about to open it when the door exploded into pieces. When the dust from the explosion cleared, Cloud carefully looked at his unwelcome guest.

"It's been a while, Cloud," said a haunting voice. Cloud froze and quickly looked up to meet the eyes of Hojo, the president of Mako Industries. Cloud took a few steps back. His whole body had seemed to stop its functions because of his overwhelming fear directed to that one person.

"Why are you here?" Cloud questioned quietly. Hojo took a step forward and grabbed Cloud's chin with his fingers.

"You should already know the answer to that question or have you forgotten about all the time we spent together?" Hojo teased.

"Get out," Cloud ordered. Hojo let out an evil laugh and then stared into the assassin's eyes.

"I don't think you're in any position to be giving orders, Cloud," Hojo stated. He released Cloud's face and walked out of the apartment. Hojo turned his head towards someone in the hall.

"Bag him, but don't kill him. If there's one injury on his body then you'll be the one who will be punished," Hojo ordered, and then he walked away just as men in black began to file into the room.

The last thing he saw was the soldiers as he was knocked unconscious.

* * *

Once they were gone, Red XIII checked if the coast was clear and dashed out of the apartment. He needed to find help and he knew he had to go find it. He ignored the strange stares he received on the streets and ran to the school.

Fortunately, it was the end of the last period before lunch and everyone was slowly coming out. Red XIII sniffed the air and then rushed when he recognized the scent he was looking for.

Let's just say that Aeris, Vincent, Zack and Sephiroth were rather surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?" Zack asked.

"Weren't you supposed to be looking after Cloud?" Aeris added.

"You're not allowed out of the apartment if Cloud isn't there, so what are you doing here?" Vincent inquired.

However, it was Sephiroth that understood why he was here and he frowned.

"Something has happened to Cloud," Sephiroth announced quietly. Silence ran through them all. Red XIII nodded to confirm his statement.

"He's been taken away," he explained.

"By who?" Vincent asked. Sephiroth didn't even need to guess.

"By my father," he said. An angry expression appeared on his face and he began to walk towards the parking lot. The others looked at each other before they followed the angry heir.

* * *

Oh, oh, Sephiroth is pissed and I pity anyone who gets in his way on his hunt for Hojo. Please Review.


	19. Memories of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 19 – Memories of the past

Cloud quietly opened his eyes and then he immediately observed his surroundings. He was chained to a stone wall by his wrists and ankles. There was no light in the room, but somehow he could see everything that was happening around the room.

Cloud sighed and carefully pulled the chains to see how tight they were. He winced in pain when a sharp throb passed through his body. He could hear the sound of someone walking through the hallway and then he saw the heavy metal door to his cell opening.

"I see you're finally awake," Hojo taunted as he entered the room. Cloud remained quiet and gave the older man a bored look. Hojo frowned at the lack of interest and backhanded the boy in the face. Cloud's head turned sideways, but no sound escaped his lips.

"Thinking that your pride will save you this time? I don't think so," Hojo stated. He took a photograph out of his lab coat and brought it to Cloud's eye level. He then dropped the picture and left the room with a cruel laugh. Cloud's eyes narrowed as he saw the photo. It was a picture of his biological mother and him with their backs facing the camera. His mother was turned halfway towards him, which showed a beautiful pendant around her neck. It was in the shape of a teardrop. It was surrounded by a silver wire which was held by the string around her neck. However it was the teardrop that was most important. It held an ethereal glow, much like Cloud's eyes did.

Cloud's eyes widened as suddenly everything came back to him.

-Flashback-

"_Cloud," his mother called out as she walked towards a small boy, who had been playing in the forest. Cloud stopped what he was doing and stared at her right in the eyes. _

"_Mommy?" the child asked. The blond woman sat down beside her son and then hugged him tightly. _

"_You are such a good child," she whispered. Cloud gave his mother a confused look, but she continued to speak. "You might not understand what I'm trying to tell you, but you are different from normal children. You are the last descendant of darkness. _

"_Descendant?" Cloud repeated._

"_It is said that a long time ago, when the devil was cast out of heaven, that he had sired a child with another angel. That angel was killed, but the child managed to survive. He escaped to earth where he lived for many years until he was found by his father. The child was raised and then trained before he left the grasp of his father and returned to earth once again. There he married a human woman and had children, who also grew up and had children. However, God, the supreme ruler of the heavens, found out the location of the devil's child and murdered them all; for he thought that one day they would rage war against the heavens. There was only one that survived. It was the youngest son. Since angels aren't affected by human blood, this boy lived a long time, hundreds of years longer then the human lifespan, using the power of his ancestry. That man is your father," she explained. _

"_My father?" Cloud repeated._

"_That's right. I met him many years ago and we lived happily together. When you were born, we were forced to run and hide because our lineage had been found out. Your father was killed trying to protect us. The only thing I have left of your father is this pendant," she added. Cloud looked at the pretty stone that hung from her neck. She removed the necklace and dangled it in front of her face. _

"_It's time that I gave this to you. Your father gave it to me in the hopes that it would protect me and now it's my turn to give it to you in the hopes that it would do the same thing for you," she added as she gave the necklace to the boy. The moment the teardrop touched Cloud's skin, it glowed and disappeared into Cloud's body. Cloud's eyes dropped and he suddenly felt really sleepy. The last thing he head was his mother's voice. _

"_Someone…please protect this child."_

Change of scenery.

"_Your mother is dead, boy. From now on, you'll be with us. My name is Hojo and if you tell me your secrets then I'll let you live," a man in a lab coat taunted. Cloud glared at this man, but remained silent, knowing that it would annoy the scientist. _

"_If you wish to be difficult then I'll make this as painful as possible for you," Hojo stated. He made a hand signal and suddenly a man with a whip entered the room. A man picked up the small boy and held onto him while the other man began to whip him. _

_Cloud cried out in pain and then bit his tongue to stifle his screams. This continued until the boy couldn't take it anymore and dropped unconscious. _

Another scene appeared.

_The experiments had been going on for a long time. Cloud had lost his sense of time since he'd been brought to this horrible place. When Hojo had discovered that Cloud wouldn't talk, he began to perform experiments on the boy to satisfy his curiosity._

_Suddenly the door to his cell opened and light poured into the stone room. _

"_Is anyone here?" he heard a small voice ask. Cloud looked up at the stranger and saw that it was a young man that looked about 10 years older than him. _

"_I'm here," Cloud responded quietly. The man's eyes widened as he saw the little boy. He immediately rushed to Cloud's side and grabbed his hands. _

"_This is horrible. What have they done to you? I'm going to get you out of here. I promise," the man said. They both exited the cell and began to run._

_All the images fast forwarded until they stopped when they were both on the roof of Hojo's mansion. They were surrounded by armed men and even Hojo was there._

"_I promise that I'll get you out kid," the man promised. Cloud looked off the ledge of the building and saw a river. He held on tightly to the man's hand. _

"_Please return Cloud to me," Hojo asked nicely. _

"_Never! This child is coming with me and we're going to leave this hellhole!" he shouted. Hojo shook his head. _

"_I can't let you do that. Cloud is…special to me," Hojo responded. He turned to one of the armed men. "Shoot him, but if the boy comes to harm then your life will be forfeit," he warned. The soldier gulped and raised his weapon. The man saw this and wrapped his arms around Cloud. When the shooting came, the man died instantly, but they both ended up falling of the roof. _

"_You idiot!" Cloud heard Hojo yell from above. Just as he was about to hit the water, Cloud's body glowed and the speed of his descent lessened. He fell into the river with a loud splash and drifted down stream. _

_The next thing Cloud knew, he was waking up at Maria's house with no memories of where he was from or who he was. All he remembered was the name Cloud Strife. _

-End of Flashback-

Cloud gasped as everything came back to him. Personally, he'd have preferred it if he could permanently forget about this cursed place, but that did not seem possible at the moment.

The blond assassin sighed and let his thoughts drift to his boyfriend who was probably wondering where he was.

"Sephiroth," he whispered.

* * *

Sephiroth was driving quickly on the highway when he though someone had said his name. He looked back.

"Cloud," he mumbled.

"Keep your eyes on the road, you idiot!" Zack screamed. Sephiroth snapped out of his daze and avoided the cars that had been coming his way before going back into the proper lane.

Zack took a deep breath, but he didn't release his death grip from his seat.

"Remind me next time never to get in a car when you're driving," he mumbled.

* * *

Hope it was okay. I hope I didn't offend anyone with the story between heaven and hell. I'm not really religious so I hope nobody minds how I'm planning this story, but if so I can't change it, sorry.


	20. Confrontations

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 20 – Confrontations

"Father!" Sephiroth shouted as he slammed open the door to Hojo's study. Hojo looked up from his papers and then gave his son an un-amused look.

"What do you want? It's very impolite to barge into someone's affairs without permission," Hojo said as he went back to his papers. Sephiroth stepped into the room and the others followed him.

"What have you done to Cloud?" Sephiroth ordered angrily.

"Cloud? You mean the friend that was at the Gala with you? I haven't done anything to him," Hojo stated as he played dumb. Sephiroth approached Hojo's desk and slammed his hands on the surface.

"Give him back," Sephiroth said in a cold voice. Hojo sighed and placed his papers onto the desk before giving his son a disapproving look.

"I suggest you forget about that young man. Nothing good will come to you if you remain by his side. I'll admit that he interests me greatly and has interested me ever since he was a child," Hojo announced. Sephiroth, Vincent, Aeris, Red XIII and Zack's eyes widened and they glared at the scientist.

"So it was you who did all those awful things to Cloud when he was a child," Zack shouted angrily. Hojo smirked.

"You heard about that huh," Hojo taunted. Vincent was about to say something else to the evil scientist, but suddenly the ground began to shake all around them. Everyone grabbed onto something in the room so that they wouldn't fall. Soon the tremors stopped only to start again with an even stronger force. Hojo was the first to regain his footing and stayed close to the wall.

"Could it be that it's finally happening?" he stated out loud. A moment later, the scientist rushed out of his office. Everyone quickly regained their footing and followed him before they had the chance to lose him.

They went down a lot of stairs until the group themselves in a bright hallway with many metal doors. Hojo was standing in front of one of the door and took out a set of keys. The ground shook again and they all looked at each other again before rushing towards Hojo.

"What is this place?" Vincent questioned as he looked at all the doors.

"It seems like death," Red XIII said.

"It's the place where my father keeps most of his important test subjects," Sephiroth explained just as they reached Hojo's side. They pushed the doctor aside and grabbed him before he had the chance to flee.

"Where is he?" Aeris asked.

"There," Hojo grumbled as he motioned towards the door he'd been trying to open.

Sephiroth reached out towards the door, but he quickly pulled his hand back.

"What's wrong?" Vincent questioned.

"The door's hot…" he answered. Vincent gave him an odd look.

"So?"

"I mean really hot," Sephiroth said. Vincent reached for the door, but when he sensed the abnormal heat radiating from the metal he quickly pulled back so that he wouldn't get burned.

"Move," Red XIII ordered calmly.

"What?" Zack said as he tightened his grip on Hojo.

"Humans won't be able to withstand the heat, but I'm not human after all," Red XIII responded. He lunged towards the door and used all his body weight to break the door. The hinges creaked and snapped before the door fell back to the door.

Zack released Hojo and they all rushed into the cell. Even Hojo, who didn't use his chance to run away, entered with them.

"Cloud!" Sephiroth exclaimed.

They all stared in shock at the scene that greeted them. The ground had opened up and there was fire entering the cell from the fissure. However, what really caught their attention was not how Cloud was chained to the wall, but on the black haired man with blood red eyes that stood before him. He wore a black cloak that was torn on the edges, but the clothing he wore underneath couldn't be seen.

Cloud stared at the stranger in shock.

"Great-grandfather?" he called out in a questioning voice.

* * *

Sorry it's short. I once again ran out of space in the book I was writing in. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer.


	21. Into Hell's Refuge

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 21 – Into hell's refuge

The stranger stared at Cloud with a questioning gaze before he turned towards Sephiroth and the others who were standing at the door.

"Who are you?" Sephiroth asked. His gaze never left the stranger so that he could be aware of the others movement. The black haired man gave them a bored look.

"I'm Lucifer, but in this plane I'm called the devil. I'm also referred to as the fallen one," he responded calmly. Cloud observed the stranger and then relaxed. Sephiroth noticed that Cloud didn't feel threatened by this man, so he decided to ignore him and help his chained lover.

"If you release him from his bonds then I'll never forgive you!" came the voice of his father. Sephiroth turned to his father and gave him the coldest glare he could muster.

"We'll be even then because I'll never forgive you for what you've done to Cloud," Sephiroth answered as he removed the chains holding Cloud down. Cloud's first act was to throw his arms around Sephiroth's neck.

"What took you so long?" he complained tiredly.

"Be glad that I came at all," Sephiroth whispered. Someone cleared their throat and they all turned around to see the red eyed stranger looking at them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but can someone explain to me what's happening around here? I sensed the power of someone of my blood," he answered. Silence filled the room and then everyone turned to Hojo because he had cried out in shock.

"You're the relative of the man we killed about 21 years ago. You must be his grandfather. That would mean that you're Cloud's only living relative," Hojo mumbled. Cloud growled angrily.

"You killed my father!" he yelled. Sephiroth held him back.

"I assume that you're the one who killed my grandson. I've been searching a very long time for him. I had no idea that he had an offspring," Lucifer whispered. He turned to Cloud and quietly observed.

"At first glance, it seems unlikely that we are related by blood because of our appearance, but upon closer inspection I can almost feel the familiarity between us," he stated. Cloud blushed and then looked up at his great grandfather.

"I'm sorry, but my looks come from my mother. My mother once told me of how my father looked and she described him a bit like how you might appear," Cloud explained. Lucifer nodded and turned back to Hojo, who looked like he was about to faint. The fallen angel advanced on the man and stared at him straight in the eyes.

"For what you have done I shall curse you. I shall not grant you death because that would be too kind of a punishment. You will live in pain and misery until the end of your days," he vowed. His eyes glowed and suddenly Hojo fell to his knees and cried out in pain while clutching his heart.

Lucifer turned back to Cloud and extended his hand.

"Come with me. I shall bring you to my homeland," he offered. Cloud looked at his friends.

"Will they be able to come?" he asked.

"They will," Lucifer responded. Cloud took the offered hand and got to his feet. The rift in the ground glowed and all of them disappeared. The rift vanished from sight afterwards.

* * *

Cloud opened his eyes and yawned tiredly. He looked around to see where he was. He was sitting on a fluffy bed which was in the most luxurious room he'd ever seen. It was splendidly decorated with Greek and Roman architecture and it almost felt like you were really living in the roman era.

He heard a groan beside him and Cloud turned his attention to the figure lying in the bed beside him. Cloud smiled when he instantly recognized Sephiroth's silver hair.

Cloud got out of the bed and shivered when his bare feet met the cold stone floor. He walked over to the double glass door and opened them. A strong and pleasant breeze entered the room and Cloud stepped onto the balcony.

It appeared that he was in a large castle that had been built beside a river. There was a bright blue sky above their head and a large down below.

"Where are we?" Cloud questioned. The door opened and Cloud turned around and saw his great grandfather enter the room.

"This is my kingdom, but humans refer to it as hell," Lucifer replied.

"It's not what I expected," Cloud replied.

"What were you expecting? Fire and brimstone?" came the amused answer. Cloud nodded.

"Well…yes," he said. Lucifer laughed at his great grandson.

"Those are just stories. Imagine what would happen if there was always fire around here? The heat would be a killer. I can hardly stand summer and now you say that it has to be all year round? No thank you," Lucifer joked. This time it was Cloud's turn to laugh and he smiled at the older man.

"What will happen to Hojo from now on?" Cloud asked.

"He will suffer. No one gets away with injuring my family. That's the only reason I'm fighting against God. He slaughtered my family like cattle just because he thought I would use them to cause an uprising. I'll never forgive something like that," he vowed.

* * *

Please review. I hope you liked this chapter. Hojo finally got what was coming to him and Cloud's finally free.


	22. Great Grandfather

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 22 – Great Grandfather

Cloud gazed at his great grandfather after the blunt confession. For a moment, Cloud almost seemed at a loss for something to say.

"It must have been horrible," he whispered. Lucifer remained quiet and leaned on the balcony. He gazed out at his country.

"It was and ever since then I've been fighting with the heavens," he finally responded. Cloud gave his relative a sad look.

"It must have been a long, hard road. Are there any signs of a side winning?" Cloud questioned. Lucifer immediately shook his head and then gave the boy a serious look. Cloud gulped under the intense gaze, but remained where he was.

"There's something that you must understand about this war. Neither of us is meant to win. This battle will continue until the end of time. One day, the reason for which this all began will be lost and it will just become meaningless fighting, but a side must never win."

"Why?" Cloud asked.

"A side must never rule over another. That is something that I figured out a long time ago. If heaven were to be the ultimate ruler then who would take care of their mistakes? No one is perfect, not even the one who professes himself to be almighty. That's why the two sides will forever battle, trying to win over the other, but never actually coming close to their goal," Lucifer explained. Cloud nodded after he thought about it all. The fallen one did have a very valid point.

The two of them were forced to stop their conversation when a groan was heard behind them. Cloud turned around and saw Sephiroth sitting up in his bed.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud exclaimed happily.

Cloud walked past his last living relative and rushed to his lover's side. Sephiroth smiled and hugged Cloud before anything could be said between them. Cloud hugged him back and then squeaked in surprise when Sephiroth pulled him into the bed. The next thing Cloud knew he was under Sephiroth's warm body. Sephiroth kissed a trail down the blond's neck and Cloud could only moan as his mind went blank.

Suddenly someone cleared their throat and Sephiroth quietly stopped his aggression and looked at Lucifer.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't mind me. Please continue trying to ravish my great grandson. It's quite entertaining," he stated. Cloud blushed and pushed Sephiroth off of him before sitting up. Cloud tried his best to fix his rumpled clothes, but it was useless. Lucifer laughed at his expression and then approached the two figures on the bed.

"Where are we?" Sephiroth asked.

"Hell," Cloud responded bluntly. Sephiroth gave him a look that made the other think he was insane.

"Oh…that's nice. That's very nice," the boy replied as he once again gave his lover an insane look. Cloud laughed at Sephiroth's expression and touched his shoulder.

"I'm not mental…at least not yet," Cloud stated. He turned to the fallen one and gave him a big smile.

"Where are the others?" he asked.

"They've all been placed in separate rooms. The only reason you two were put together is because the silver haired one refused to release you, even in his sleep. Not even the forces of all the underworld could have pulled you apart," he explained. Cloud blushed again and then glared at Sephiroth for a moment before turning back to Lucifer.

"What are we doing here?" Cloud asked.

"Think of it as relaxation. You may wander around the city and no harm shall come to you," he responded. Sephiroth gulped and gave the red-eyed angel a nervous look.

"There aren't any actual dead people in the city are there? I mean, the scriptures say that evil people go to hell," Sephiroth stated.

"That's a fiction. There aren't any dead people. You will actually see here that everybody is very much alive. You see, when a human dies, their soul is brought to heaven where the angels will give them a chance at another life. The ones who do not get reborn are put on a waiting list," Lucifer explained.

"Things seem so complicated," Cloud said.

"You have no idea. Your grandfather actually was very interested in this place and its history. He'd lived in the mortal realm for so long that he was amazed at all the things here," Lucifer announced.

"Grandfather?" Cloud repeated.

"Yes. He lived here for a long time before he moved back to live on the mortal plane. He preferred to live there because he was intrigued by humans, who lived such shorter life spans then he did," Lucifer said.

"We live longer than normal humans? Does that mean that I'll live longer then usual?" Cloud suddenly asked. Sephiroth looked at his lover, also interested in the answer that would be given.

"That is correct," Lucifer stated. A wry smile appeared on Cloud's face and he turned away from both men.

"It almost seems as if the fates are trying to separate us by any means possible," he whispered. Cloud turned back to his great grandfather and gave him a large smile.

"I wish to think about something, but before I do so. Is there a way to shorten a person's lifespan?" he asked quietly. Lucifer frowned at the question, but he answered it even though his discomfort was obvious.

"There is a way. Though I will not ask why you wish to know something like that," Lucifer stated. Cloud nodded and stood. He walked to the door and then stopped before tilting his head slightly to see the other two.

"I need to think. There is something that I must ask though," Cloud said.

"What?" Lucifer asked.

"Would you do that for me?" he questioned cautiously. Lucifer looked away sadly and then gave his great grandson a hurt look.

"We shall see, but if you wish it from the bottom of your heart then I shall do it," he answered. Cloud smiled sadly then he walked out.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Sephiroth watched his lover leave with a look of confusion on his face.

"What just happened?" he asked.

* * *

Poor Lucifer, he just got his great grandson back and now Cloud's already thinking about leaving him.


	23. Decision

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 23 – Decision

Cloud walked through the city and smiled at those that greeted him. Though on the inside, he was deep in thought.

'_Can I really relinquish long lasting life?' _he thought. His heart told him that he could, but there was a certain uncertainty deep within his soul. The look on Lucifer's face had been heart wrenching when Cloud had mentioned the possibility of removing a large part of his lifespan. That was the only reason why he was hesitating.

"Would I be selfish if I asked him for the chance to die?" Cloud whispered.

"It would depend on why you're asking," said an unfamiliar voice. Cloud turned around and saw a small girl wearing a black dress. Cloud gave her a suspicious look and then approached her without a word.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"If you truly wish for something then whoever is keeping you will understand. Think about your happiness and if you feel that you will be happier here then follow that instinct," the girl explained. Cloud nodded and then ruffled the girl's hair.

"That's good advice," he stated. The girl huffed and slapped Cloud's hand away before stomping away. Cloud smiled as he watched her leave and then headed back in the direction he had been heading in. Now that his decision was made, he could freely enjoy himself in the city that his great grandfather was so proud of.

* * *

Many hours later, Cloud returned to the roman styles castle and headed to the room that he had been in the morning of his awakening.

"Cloud!" someone shouted. Cloud turned around and saw Vincent quietly approaching him. Red XIII was also with him. Cloud smiled at his friends.

"Yo!" he greeted.

"Where the hell have you been? Everyone's been looking for you. You just got up and disappeared," Vincent complained. Red XIII nodded his head to show that he agreed with the other human.

"Sorry. There's just been a lot going on lately," Cloud apologized.

"You're telling me. Ever since you met the Sephiroth guy you've been getting into all sorts of trouble," Red XIII added. Cloud glared at the hybrid and then proceeded to ignore him as a punishment. Cloud smiled at Vincent.

"I have to find Lucifer. Do you know where he happens to be?" he asked.

"He's in his study. It's on the left side of the fourth floor," Vincent answered. Cloud nodded and then followed the directions that had been given to him until he was standing in front of a solid oak door. He was about to knock when the door opened all by itself. Cloud sighed and stepped into the dimly lit room. The door closed behind him.

Lucifer, who was sitting at his desk, put down his pen and looked at Cloud. The older man stood from his chair and then walked up to the younger one.

"If you're here then that means that you've made your decision," he stated. Cloud nodded sadly and then gave his great grandfather a small nod. Lucifer sighed and approached him.

"I already know your response, so I will gladly do it. However, instead of completely eliminating your enlarged lifespan I will simply seal it away so that if you change your mind then it will be reversible," Lucifer stated. He took Cloud's hand in his. Both their hands glowed for a moment and Cloud felt his body grow weaker. He closed his eyes and then everything went quiet.

* * *

The first things that Cloud registered in his head were the warm arms wrapped around him. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed some strands of familiar silver hair.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud mumbled sleepily.

"Finally, you're awake!" Sephiroth shouted in response. Cloud moaned as his sore muscles refused to move. The arm around him tightened and Cloud realized that he wouldn't be able to move if Sephiroth didn't release him.

"Can you let go? I can't move," Cloud stated. Sephiroth's grip tightened again and Cloud winced.

"I'm never letting you go again. Not after what you did. Lucifer explained the whole thing to me. Why would you do something so stupid," he complained. Cloud gave his lover a wry smile.

"You found out about that. I guess it was useless trying to hide it from you," Cloud answered. Sephiroth glared at him in response.

"You got that right," he muttered.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked.

"A week."

"Really! That long. I must have been really tired," Cloud said.

"It took some time for your body to adjust to the seal. I guess you just slept it off," Sephiroth answered worriedly. Cloud nodded and yawned before he tried to wiggle out of Sephiroth's grasp.

The door opened and Vincent, Red XIII, Zack and Aeris stepped into the room.

"Looks like sleepy head is finally awake," Zack teased. Cloud glared at him in response.

"Shut up. If you want to switch places with me than I'll be more than glad to accept the offer," Cloud offered. Zack quickly shook his head.

"No thanks. I like my life right now," he stated.

"He's just a coward," Aeris stated as she whacked the spiky black haired boy across the head. Zack yelped in pain and gave the pink dressed girl a hurt look. Aeris decided to ignore him and turned back to the assassin that lay comfortably on the bed.

"We've requested to Lucifer if we can return home tomorrow. He agreed after a lot of persuading," she announced. Vincent stepped forward when he saw the panicked look that appeared on Cloud's face.

"If you wish to stay longer then we could postpone the trip," he offered. Cloud shook his head and gave his friend a strained smile.

"It's alright. I just need to talk to him," Cloud said as he pulled away from Sephiroth and got out of the bed. Sephiroth made a move to follow him, but Cloud shook his head at him.

"Alone," he added.

Sephiroth sighed and nodded. Cloud left the room and made his way to Lucifer's study. Just like before, the door's opened before he had the chance to knock and closed behind him when he walked into the room. Lucifer was once again sitting at his desk and signing papers.

"Have you come to say goodbye?" Lucifer questioned.

"Perhaps," Cloud cried.

The fallen angel smiled, but didn't look up from his paperwork. He understood that this was Cloud's special way of showing that he cared.

"Thank you," Cloud announced.

Lucifer looked up for the first time.

"For what?" he asked.

"For letting me go."

With that Cloud left the study. Lucifer watched him leave sadly, but he was truly glad that he'd had the chance to help Cloud in some way.

* * *

There's one chapter left and then there's the epilogue. So stay tuned. The story's almost done.


	24. Back Home

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Chapter 24 – Back home

"It was really nice of Lucifer to drop us off in front of Cloud's condo," Vincent stated. Everyone agreed, except for Cloud, who remained quiet.

"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked as he noticed the expression on Cloud's face.

"I jest have the feeling that that will be last time I see him," Cloud answered calmly.

"Him?" Zack repeated.

"He's referring to Lucifer, you dolt," Aeris replied as she smacked him one.

"Why do you get that feeling?" Sephiroth asked his lover. Cloud just stared at the night sky with an empty expression.

"I don't know. I just do. It's one of those things that you can't explain, but you know it's true," Cloud replied in a mysterious voice. Sephiroth smiled at him and then hugged his lover.

"That's a cue for me to leave," Zack announced as he waved goodbye to the others.

"Us too," Aeris and Vincent added. Everyone left, leaving Red XIII, Sephiroth and Cloud together. Cloud smiled at the remainders and then led them to the top floor of the apartment. He unlocked the door and Red XIII immediately slipped past them and went to go hide in a small corner. Cloud was about to ask why he was hiding when Sephiroth grabbed him and slammed his back against the wall.

Cloud barely had time to close and lock the door before a pair of hungry lips claimed his. Cloud moaned and wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck. The heir grabbed Cloud's legs and lifted him up.

Cloud's legs immediately wrapped themselves around Sephiroth's waist in an attempt to cling to something to prevent his fall. Sephiroth pulled away from the kiss and began to trail his lips over Cloud's neck. The assassin moaned and then took a deep breath as the air returned to his lungs. Sephiroth pulled away from the other again and gazed at Cloud with lust filled eyes.

"Where's the bedroom again?" he asked, his voice deeper than usual.

"Second door to the right," Cloud mumbled. Sephiroth moved both of them towards the mentioned room. They both had problems opening the door, but once they were inside the door slammed shut behind them.

Red XIII came out of his hiding place and then headed towards his own room now that the coast was clear.

"Perverted humans. Can't even wait until the front door is closed," he complained.

* * *

Cloud opened his eyes and then quietly sat up in bed. He gazed lovingly at Sephiroth before he got out completely of the bed and headed towards the bathroom. He took a quick shower and then returned to the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

When he reentered the room, Sephiroth was already awake and observing him with a small smile on his face. Cloud blushed and quietly took out some clothes to put on. He hastily got dressed and then turned to Sephiroth, who was still staring.

"How long are you going to continue to stare at me?" he asked.

"For as long as I feel like it," Sephiroth answered. Cloud rolled his eyes.

"At least go take a shower before you do anything else," Cloud complained. Sephiroth laughed and stood up from the bed. Cloud blushed and quickly looked away before leaving the room. He heard Sephiroth laughing as he closed the door behind him.

Cloud went to the kitchen and prepared some foot to eat.

"Did you sleep well?" Red XIII asked as he approached his master. Cloud blushed and decided to remain silent so that he wouldn't have to supply the hybrid an answer.

"That good," Red XIII added.

Cloud's face turned even redder and he 'accidentally' stepped onto Red XIII's tail. The hybrid yelped and then proceeded to glare at master.

"That was uncalled for!" he shouted. Cloud placed an innocent look on his face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he teased. Red XIII huffed in anger and stomped away from the assassin. Cloud watched him go with a smile on his face. A moment later, Sephiroth entered the kitchen while toweling off his wet hair.

"What was all that about?" he questioned.

"Nothing," Cloud responded as he gave his lover a playful look. Sephiroth smiled and then ruffled Cloud's hair. Cloud slapped his hand away and glared at the heir.

"What are you doing?" he complained.

"I'm just having a bit of fun," Sephiroth replied.

"What are you going to do today?" Cloud asked as he turned to look at the silver haired man.

"I'm going to go see Angel. We've been gone for a while and she'll probably want to grill me for leaving without telling her," Sephiroth stated. Cloud laughed at the other's situation.

"Have fun with that," he stated.

"You'll come with me right?" Sephiroth begged as he gave the other a puppy eyed look. Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Fine and just to let you know, that look doesn't suit you," Cloud offered as he referred to the puppy eyed look. Sephiroth laughed, but didn't comment.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been? You didn't even leave a message to tell me where you were going and then you disappear for more than a week. I can't believe you!" Angel scolded when the couple returned to Sephiroth's house. Sephiroth took all the comments without a word and waited until the ranting and raving was finished.

"Are you done?" Sephiroth asked when the shouting was over. Angel took a deep breath and then nodded.

"Good, because that was really scary," Cloud said.

"Sorry about that. There's just been a lot of strain put on me. Everyone's been telling me that I need to find Sephiroth as quickly as possible," Angel explained. Sephiroth frowned at this.

"Why?"

"Your father has suddenly fallen ill. The doctors say that it seems to be a new illness with no cure. The symptoms seem to be extremely painful and his health is slowly declining. The funny thing is, is that he seems to be dying a slow and painful death. Everyone has been looking for you because they need the heir to step forward and take over the business now that your father is unable to perform his duties," Angel explained. Cloud smiled secretly. He knew that Lucifer had something to do with this. Sephiroth frowned and then sighed.

"I guess I have no choice. I'll have to take over for that useless idiot," Sephiroth stated. He turned to Cloud

"Is that okay?" he asked.

"It's fine with me," he responded. Angel smirked evilly.

"Good, but just to let you know, you didn't have a choice in the matter," she said as she grabbed Sephiroth's arm and dragged him away. The heir tried to reach out to Cloud, but the assassin just waved at him with a smile on his face. Cloud laughed at his lover and just continued to wave.

* * *

All that's left now is the epilogue. You know what I've noticed? I've noticed that Aeris smacks Zack pretty often. It's kind of funny thinking that the frail girl from Final Fantasy VII can beat the crap out of a Soldier.


	25. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.

* * *

Epilogue

Cloud returned to school soon after the whole entire event and everything returned to its normal schedule. Cloud went to school and then returned home before doing his midnight job as an assassin.

Sephiroth quit school and went to the company full time since he had a higher level of education then everyone else around him. He met Cloud every other day sand they would always spend time together.

A few years after Cloud's memory had returned, Cloud moved in with Sephiroth and Angel was extremely glad for the extra company.

About 20 years later, Hojo died in a hospital after many years of continuous torture under Lucifer's curse. There was also the fact that he had to also live in shame because his misdeeds had been discovered by the police. The only upside to the whole situation was that they couldn't hail him off to jail because of his severe and painful illness. In the end, Hojo died in the most painful way someone could image without including murder. His lungs shut down and he slowly suffocated to death.

Just like Cloud predicted, he never really did see his great grandfather again, but he could somehow always feel the other's presence watching him. There was also the fact that he never chose to release the seal when his time of death approached, though his aging process was still slow. When he died, he simply looked 40 instead of his real age which was 108. Sephiroth died at age 90 and the company was passed down to the children that the couple had adopted. Sephiroth died an old looking man, but he was still considered more beautiful than others. Even if his appearance was that of an old man, Cloud continued to love him until the end of his own days. When Sephiroth died, Cloud spent most of his days at his lover's grave, gazing at the sky.

Angel died about five years after Sephiroth. She continuously took care of Cloud even though he told her that it wasn't necessary and that he should be the one taking care of her instead because he was healthier than any man alive because of his demon ancestry. When Angel died, Red XIII, who seemed to have a long lifespan as well, kept the ex-assassin company. His other friends had already passed on into the afterlife.

When Cloud finally died, Red XIII moved on to live with Cloud's foster children and continued to look after each generation until he too died of old age.

About a hundred years after Cloud's death, a dark haired man approached his grave with two bouquets of flowers.

"It's been a long time," he stated. He looked at the engraved words on the tombstone with his red colored eyes. Lucifer deposited one of the bouquets on the grave and then looked at the tombstone engraving.

_Cloud Strife_

_2006-2114_

_Goodbye to those_

_Who cared for me_

Lucifer looked at the grave beside it.

_Sephiroth Mako_

_2006-2096_

_I'm going on ahead Cloud_

_So don't make me wait long_

Lucifer placed the other bouquet on Sephiroth's grave and then smiled.

"Thanks for taking care of him. I guess that everyone can avoid making the same mistake again," he whispered. He turned his back to the graves and began to walk away. There was a smile on his face.

OWARI

* * *

I want to thank everyone who has read this story and has put up with my writting for the duration of this story. It's been a pleasure.


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